GRAMMAR

⭐ The Focus of This Lesson Is Negation in Statements.

Non, je n'ai pas de voiture.

"No, I don't have a car."

Being a student, as Rob is, usually involves taking public transportation, especially when studying in main French cities.The French public transportation system is reliable and reasonably priced, since public institutions finance it at the regional level. The system serves not only the cities but also suburbs and small villages. Subways, tramways, buses, and local train systems are available to the commuters and offer alternative transportation to the already jammed roads and freeways to reach work, schools, or universities during hours with heavy traffic. So if you ask French students or active, single young adults living in a big city or the capital for a ride, don't be surprised if they do not own a car.

In the dialogue, Rob and Cathy are leaving the restaurant, and Rob asks whether Cathy has a car with Tu as une voiture? ("Do you have a car?") As he is not referring to a particular car, and speaks of a car in a general context, note that Rob uses an indefinite article in front of the possessed object.

⭐ Stating That You Do Not Have Something

When asked whether you own an object that you don't have in a general context, you'll respond with the negative form ne/n' pas de, just as Cathy does with the negative statement Je n'ai pas de voiture. ("I don t have a car.")

To formulate a negative statement with the negative form ne/n'pas de, use:

(Je + n' + ai + pas de/d' + Noun)

For Example:

1. Tu as un portable ? Non, je n'ai pas de portable.

"Do you have a cell phone? No, I don't have a cell phone."

2. Tu as une cigarette ? Non, je n'ai pas de cigarettes.

"Do you have a cigarette? No, I don't have cigarettes."

3. Tu as une ordinateur ? Non, je n'ai pas d'ordinateur.

"Do you have a computer? No, I don't have a computer."

4. Tu as une assiette ? Non, je n'ai pas d'assiette.

"Do you have a plate? No, I don't have a plate."

⭐ Language Note

When the noun starts with a vowel in the sequence Je n' ai pas de + noun, we shorten the word de to the letter d followed by an apostrophe.

 For Example:

1. Tu as un abonnement de métro ? Non, je n'ai pas d'abonnement de métro.

⭐ Language Expansion

When talking about a brand with the negation form, keep the indefinite article:

For Example:

Tu as une Peugeot? Non, je n'ai pas une Peugeot, j'ai une Renault.

"Do you have a Peugeot? No, I don't have a Peugeot, I have a Renault."

➖ Cultural Insights ➖

One Legacy of the French Sun King

Versailles is well-known for its castle! If you have already visited the castle or intend to do so, do not forget to go and see its garden and its impressive canal. The canal was built with various ponds to create the optical illusion that the canal is the same size in the distance when you view it from the castle. It is shaped like a cross and measures twenty-three hectares (fifty-seven acres), and spans five and a half kilometers (nearly three and a half miles) in periphery. You can walk for about an hour all around it, or choose to rent a small boat for an hour and row as the nobility did on the smelly marsh during the Louis XIV era. If you happen to be on the premises on the fifth of September, make sure to admire the sunset lining up with the canal on Louis XIV's birthday.

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