Lesson 5 - Grammar 3 - Indefinite pronouns : rien, personne
Questions | Answers |
---|---|
-Avez-vous quelque chose à déclarer? | -Non, rien. |
-Avez-vous quelqu'un pour le gros travail? | -Non, personne. |
In this lesson, we will study two indefinite pronouns:
Step 1- Rien
Step 2- Personne
Step 1- Rien: nothing, not … anything.
Rien can be used:
a. before a verb, as subject followed by ‘ne’.
French / Français | English / Anglais |
---|---|
Rien ne lui plaît. | Nothing pleases him. |
b. after a verb, as object; the verb is preceded by ‘ne’.
French / Français | English / Anglais |
---|---|
Il ne voit rien. | He doesn't see anything. |
In the ‘passé composé’, 'rien' is placed between the auxiliary verb and the past participle. If the verb takes a preposition, ‘rien’ is placed after the whole verb.
French / Français | English / Anglais |
---|---|
Il n'a rien vu. | He didn’t see anything. |
Il ne s'est débarrassé de rien. | He didn't get rid of anything. |
c. in front of an infinitive.
French / Français | English / Anglais |
---|---|
Il vaut mieux ne rien dire. | It's better not to say anything. |
d. without a verb.
French / Français | English / Anglais |
---|---|
Rien. | Nothing. |
Rien que des effets personnels. | Nothing but personal effects. |
‘Rien’ is followed by de before a masculine singular adjective.
French / Français | English / Anglais |
---|---|
Rien de nouveau. | Nothing new. |
‘Rien’ can also be used as a noun.
French / Français | English / Anglais |
---|---|
Il y a des petits riens qui font plaisir | There are little things that make you happy. |
Ce n'est pas rien. | It's nothing to sneeze at. |
Step 2- Personne: Nobody, no one, not … anybody, not … anyone.
Personne can be used:
a. before a verb, as subject, followed by ‘ne’.
French / Français | English / Anglais |
---|---|
Personne ne comprend. | No one understands. |
b. after a verb, as object; the verb is preceded by ‘ne’.
French / Français | English / Anglais |
---|---|
Il ne voit personne. | He doesn't see anyone. |
In the ‘passé composé’, personne is placed after the whole verb.
French / Français | English / Anglais |
---|---|
Il n'a vu personne. | He didn’t see anyone |
c. without a verb.
French / Français | English / Anglais |
---|---|
Personne. | Nobody. |
Personne can also be a noun.
French / Français | English / Anglais |
---|---|
Une personne était là. | A person was there. |