Learning a new language is fun, especially when you begin with common words. In French, some words are useful in everyday conversations. One of these words is “never.” Learning how to say “never” can help you express yourself clearly.
In this article, you will learn how to say “never” in French. We’ll explore different ways to use this word, learn how to respond to it, and practice with simple exercises. By the end, you’ll feel more comfortable using “never” in real-life conversations.
Ways to Say “Never” in French
In French, the word “never” is commonly used to express something that doesn’t happen or won’t happen. There are several phrases that mean “never,” depending on the context. Below are 25 ways to say “never” in French with examples to help you understand how to use them correctly.
1. Jamais
Pronunciation: zhah-meh
Meaning: Never
In a Sentence:
- Je ne mens jamais. (I never lie.)
- Il n’est jamais en retard. (He is never late.)
2. Pas une seule fois
Pronunciation: pahz ewn suhl fwa
Meaning: Not even once
In a Sentence:
- Je ne l’ai vu pas une seule fois. (I didn’t see him even once.)
- Elle n’a pas appelé une seule fois. (She didn’t call even once.)
3. À aucun moment
Pronunciation: ah oh-kan moh-mahn
Meaning: At no time
In a Sentence:
- À aucun moment je n’ai douté de toi. (At no time did I doubt you.)
- Il n’a à aucun moment changé d’avis. (He never changed his mind.)
4. Plus jamais
Pronunciation: ploo zhah-meh
Meaning: Never again
In a Sentence:
- Je ne ferai plus jamais cette erreur. (I will never make that mistake again.)
- Ne me parle plus jamais! (Never talk to me again!)
5. En aucune façon
Pronunciation: ahn oh-keen fah-sohn
Meaning: In no way
In a Sentence:
- En aucune façon, cela n’est possible. (In no way is that possible.)
- Je ne suis en aucune façon responsable. (I am in no way responsible.)
6. Pas du tout
Pronunciation: pah doo too
Meaning: Not at all
In a Sentence:
- Je ne suis pas du tout intéressé. (I am not interested at all.)
- Ce n’est pas du tout correct. (This is not correct at all.)
7. Rien du tout
Pronunciation: ryen doo too
Meaning: Nothing at all
In a Sentence:
- Il n’a rien dit du tout. (He said nothing at all.)
- Je n’ai rien compris du tout. (I didn’t understand anything at all.)
8. Pas encore
Pronunciation: pahz ahn-kohr
Meaning: Not yet
In a Sentence:
- Je ne l’ai pas encore vu. (I haven’t seen him yet.)
- Nous n’avons pas encore fini. (We haven’t finished yet.)
9. Jamais de la vie
Pronunciation: zhah-meh duh lah vee
Meaning: Never in my life
In a Sentence:
- Jamais de la vie je ne ferais ça! (Never in my life would I do that!)
- Il n’ira jamais de la vie là-bas. (He will never go there in his life.)
10. Nullement
Pronunciation: nuhl-mahn
Meaning: Not at all (formal)
In a Sentence:
- Je ne suis nullement concerné. (I am not concerned at all.)
- Cela ne m’intéresse nullement. (I am not interested in that at all.)
11. Sans jamais
Pronunciation: sahn zhah-meh
Meaning: Without ever
In a Sentence:
- Il est parti sans jamais dire au revoir. (He left without ever saying goodbye.)
- Elle a réussi sans jamais demander d’aide. (She succeeded without ever asking for help.)
12. Pas le moindre
Pronunciation: pah luh mwan-druh
Meaning: Not the slightest
In a Sentence:
- Il n’a montré pas le moindre intérêt. (He didn’t show the slightest interest.)
- Je n’ai pas le moindre doute. (I don’t have the slightest doubt.)
13. Pas du tout possible
Pronunciation: pah doo too poh-see-bluh
Meaning: Not at all possible
In a Sentence:
- Ce n’est pas du tout possible. (That’s not possible at all.)
- Cette option n’est pas du tout possible. (That option is not possible at all.)
14. Pas question
Pronunciation: pah kehs-tyohn
Meaning: No way
In a Sentence:
- Pas question que je fasse cela! (No way I’m doing that!)
- Il a dit “pas question!” (He said “no way!”)
15. Plus de ça
Pronunciation: ploo duh sah
Meaning: No more of that
In a Sentence:
- Plus de ça, c’est fini! (No more of that, it’s over!)
- Je ne veux plus de ça. (I don’t want that anymore.)
16. Jamais plus
Pronunciation: zhah-meh ploo
Meaning: Never again
In a Sentence:
- Je ne reviendrai jamais plus ici. (I will never come back here again.)
- Ne fais jamais plus cette erreur. (Never make that mistake again.)
17. Pas un seul instant
Pronunciation: pah uh suhl ehn-stahn
Meaning: Not for a single moment
In a Sentence:
- Pas un seul instant je n’ai douté. (Not for a single moment did I doubt.)
- Il n’a hésité pas un seul instant. (He didn’t hesitate for a single moment.)
18. Jamais rien
Pronunciation: zhah-meh ryen
Meaning: Never anything
In a Sentence:
- Il ne dit jamais rien d’intéressant. (He never says anything interesting.)
- Elle ne fait jamais rien de mal. (She never does anything wrong.)
19. Aucune chance
Pronunciation: oh-keen shahnss
Meaning: No chance
In a Sentence:
- Aucune chance qu’il réussisse. (No chance he’ll succeed.)
- Il n’a aucune chance de gagner. (He has no chance of winning.)
20. Pas moyen
Pronunciation: pah mwah-yehn
Meaning: No way
In a Sentence:
- Pas moyen de convaincre Paul. (No way to convince Paul.)
- Il n’y a pas moyen de l’arrêter. (There’s no way to stop him.)
21. Pas une chance
Pronunciation: pah ewn shahnss
Meaning: Not a chance
In a Sentence:
- Pas une chance qu’il arrive à l’heure. (Not a chance he’ll arrive on time.)
- Il n’a pas une chance de réussir cet examen. (He doesn’t have a chance of passing this exam.)
22. Pas même
Pronunciation: pah mehm
Meaning: Not even
In a Sentence:
- Il n’a pas même répondu à mon message. (He didn’t even reply to my message.)
- Elle n’a pas même regardé dans ma direction. (She didn’t even look my way.)
23. Pas du tout probable
Pronunciation: pah doo too proh-bah-bluh
Meaning: Not likely at all
In a Sentence:
- Il n’est pas du tout probable qu’il vienne ce soir. (It’s not likely at all that he’ll come tonight.)
- Cette histoire n’est pas du tout probable. (This story is not likely at all.)
24. Pas demain la veille
Pronunciation: pah duh-mehn lah veh-yuh
Meaning: Not anytime soon
In a Sentence:
- Il ne finira pas ce projet demain la veille. (He won’t finish this project anytime soon.)
- On ne les reverra pas demain la veille. (We won’t see them anytime soon.)
25. Aucun moyen
Pronunciation: oh-kun mwah-yehn
Meaning: No way/No means
In a Sentence:
- Il n’y a aucun moyen de résoudre ce problème. (There’s no way to solve this problem.)
- Nous n’avons aucun moyen de le contacter. (We have no way of contacting him.)
26. Sans exception
Pronunciation: sahn ek-sehp-syohn
Meaning: Without exception
In a Sentence:
- Ils ont tous été invités sans exception. (They were all invited without exception.)
- Chaque règle doit être respectée sans exception. (Every rule must be followed without exception.)
27. Impossible
Pronunciation: ahn-poh-see-bluh
Meaning: Impossible
In a Sentence:
- C’est impossible de terminer le travail aujourd’hui. (It’s impossible to finish the work today.)
- Il est impossible de changer le passé. (It’s impossible to change the past.)
Other Ways to Say “Never” in French
Here’s a table with more ways to express “never” in French, including their pronunciations, meanings, and example sentences.
| Other Ways to Say | Pronunciation | Meaning | Example Sentences |
| Pas du tout | pah doo too | Not at all | Je ne suis pas du tout fatigué. (I’m not tired at all.) |
| Aucune chance | oh-keen shahnss | No chance | Aucune chance de réussir. (No chance of succeeding.) |
| Pas question | pah kehs-tyohn | No way | Pas question que je parte! (No way I’m leaving!) |
| Jamais plus | zhah-meh ploo | Never again | Je ne viendrai jamais plus ici. (I’ll never come here again.) |
| Sans jamais | sahn zhah-meh | Without ever | Il est parti sans jamais dire au revoir. (He left without ever saying goodbye.) |
| Impossible | ahn-poh-see-bluh | Impossible | C’est impossible de finir à temps. (It’s impossible to finish on time.) |
| Nullement | nuhl-mahn | Not at all (formal) | Je ne suis nullement inquiet. (I am not worried at all.) |
| Pas un seul instant | pah uh suhl ehn-stahn | Not for a single moment | Pas un seul instant je n’ai hésité. (Not for a single moment did I hesitate.) |
| Rien du tout | ryen doo too | Nothing at all | Je ne comprends rien du tout. (I understand nothing at all.) |
| Pas encore | pah ahn-kohr | Not yet | Nous n’avons pas encore mangé. (We haven’t eaten yet.) |
| Aucune possibilité | oh-keen poh-see-bee-lee-tay | No possibility | Il n’y a aucune possibilité de succès. (There is no possibility of success.) |
| Pas même | pah mehm | Not even | Il n’a pas même essayé. (He didn’t even try.) |
| Plus jamais | ploo zhah-meh | Never again | Je ne referai plus jamais cette erreur. (I’ll never make that mistake again.) |
| Pas moyen | pah mwah-yehn | No way | Pas moyen de l’arrêter! (No way to stop him!) |
| Jamais de la vie | zhah-meh duh lah vee | Never in my life | Jamais de la vie je ne ferais ça! (Never in my life would I do that!) |
Responses to “Never” in French
When someone uses the word “never” in French, you can respond in various ways depending on the context. Here are some common responses you can use:
1. Bien sûr que non
Pronunciation: byehn soor kuh nohn
Meaning: Of course not
In a Sentence: – Tu penses que je mentirais? Bien sûr que non! (Do you think I would lie? Of course not!)
2. Absolument pas
Pronunciation: ahb-so-lu-mahn pah
Meaning: Absolutely not
In a Sentence: – As-tu cassé le vase? Absolument pas! (Did you break the vase? Absolutely not!)
3. Jamais de la vie!
Pronunciation: zhah-meh duh lah vee
Meaning: Never in my life!
In a Sentence: – Tu veux sauter en parachute? Jamais de la vie! (Do you want to skydive? Never in my life!)
4. Pas question!
Pronunciation: pah kehs-tyohn
Meaning: No way!
In a Sentence: – Tu veux que je fasse tes devoirs? Pas question! (You want me to do your homework? No way!)
5. Hors de question
Pronunciation: ohr duh kehs-tyohn
Meaning: Out of the question
In a Sentence: – Partir sans prévenir est hors de question. (Leaving without notice is out of the question.)
6. Certainement pas
Pronunciation: sehr-tah-ne-mahn pah
Meaning: Certainly not
In a Sentence: – Penses-tu que je tricherais? Certainement pas! (Do you think I would cheat? Certainly not!)
7. Impossible!
Pronunciation: ahn-poh-see-bluh
Meaning: Impossible!
In a Sentence: – Gagner ce jeu? Impossible! (Winning this game? Impossible!)
8. Pas du tout
Pronunciation: pah doo too
Meaning: Not at all
In a Sentence: – Es-tu fâché? Pas du tout! (Are you upset? Not at all!)
9. Aucun risque
Pronunciation: oh-kun reesk
Meaning: No risk at all
In a Sentence: – Y a-t-il un danger ici? Aucun risque. (Is there a danger here? No risk at all.)
10. Non, jamais!
Pronunciation: nohn, zhah-meh
Meaning: No, never!
In a Sentence: – As-tu déjà menti? Non, jamais! (Have you ever lied? No, never!)
Exercise to Practice “Never” in French
Complete the following sentences using the correct French word or phrase for “never” from the list you learned earlier.
Fill-in-the-Blanks
- Je ne mens _______. (I never lie.)
- Il n’y a _______ de finir ce travail aujourd’hui. (There’s no way to finish this work today.)
- Tu ne fais _______ attention en classe. (You never pay attention in class.)
- _______ je n’abandonnerai mes rêves. (Never will I give up on my dreams.)
- Elle n’a _______ appelé depuis son départ. (She never called since she left.)
- Il n’a _______ répondu à mon message. (He never replied to my message.)
- C’est _______ possible de gagner sans pratiquer. (It’s not possible at all to win without practice.)
- Je ne retournerai _______ dans cet endroit. (I will never return to that place.)
- _______ de la vie je ne ferais ça! (Never in my life would I do that!)
- Ils ne sont _______ en retard à leurs rendez-vous. (They are never late for their appointments.)
- Il n’a _______ pensé à s’excuser. (He never thought of apologizing.)
- Nous n’avons _______ triché à nos examens. (We never cheated on our exams.)
Answers
- jamais (never)
- aucun moyen (no way)
- jamais (never)
- Jamais (never)
- jamais (never)
- pas même (not even)
- pas du tout (not at all)
- jamais plus (never again)
- Jamais de la vie (never in my life)
- jamais (never)
- pas un seul instant (not for a single moment)
- jamais (never)
Conclusion
Learning how to say “never” in French helps you express strong feelings, set limits, or talk about things that will not happen. From simple words like jamais to stronger phrases like pas question, you now know many ways to use this term in different situations.
Keep practicing these phrases to build your confidence in conversations. The more you use them, the more natural they will feel. Understanding how to say “never” in French makes your speaking skills clearer and more expressive. Start practicing today!