Ne… jamais in French: how to say never

Ne... jamais means “never”. It uses the same frame as ne... pas: put ne before the conjugated verb and jamais after it. Je mange ici becomes je ne mange jamais ici (“I never eat here”). In the passé composé, jamais goes after the helper: je n’ai jamais vu ça (“I have never seen that”).

Pattern French English
simple tense Je ne fume jamais. I never smoke.
before a vowel Elle n’arrive jamais tard. She never arrives late.
passé composé Nous n’avons jamais visité Nice. We have never visited Nice.
without ne in speech Je mange jamais ici. I never eat here.

Jamais replaces pas

For the basic meaning “never”, use jamais instead of pas. Do not combine pas and jamais in a simple negative.

Il ne travaille jamais le dimanche.
He never works on Sundays.

Je ne bois jamais de café le soir.
I never drink coffee in the evening.

The negative word changes the meaning: pas = not, plus = no longer, jamais = never.

In the past: after the helper

In compound tenses like the passé composé, place jamais after the helper verb.

Je n’ai jamais essayé ce plat.
I have never tried this dish.

Elle n’est jamais allée à Marseille.
She has never been to Marseille.

This is the same slot used by pas, plus and rien in the passé composé.

Jamais can mean ever in questions

In questions or after si, jamais can mean “ever”, not “never”.

Tu es déjà allé à Lyon ? / Tu es jamais allé à Lyon ?
Have you ever been to Lyon?

Si jamais tu as besoin d’aide, appelle-moi.
If you ever need help, call me.

At A2, keep the main rule clear first: with ne, jamais means “never”.

Common mistakes

Adding pas with jamais

Jamais replaces pas.

Je ne mange pas jamais ici. -> Je ne mange jamais ici.
I never eat here.

Putting jamais after the participle

In the passé composé, put it after the helper.

Je n’ai vu jamais ça. -> Je n’ai jamais vu ça.
I have never seen that.

Forgetting de after a negative quantity

After many negative noun phrases, use de.

Je ne bois jamais du café le soir. -> Je ne bois jamais de café le soir.
I never drink coffee in the evening.

Ne... jamais belongs to the same negation family as ne… pas, ne… plus and ne… rien. Fluera practices them in the same sentence frames, so the meaning changes while the word order stays predictable. Try it when you practice French.

Practice

Question 1 of 10

I never smoke.

Frequently asked questions

What does ne... jamais mean?
Ne... jamais means "never": je ne mange jamais ici means "I never eat here".
Can I say ne... pas jamais?
No, not for the basic meaning. Jamais replaces pas: say je ne viens jamais, not je ne viens pas jamais.
Where does jamais go in the passé composé?
Put jamais after the helper verb: je n'ai jamais vu ça, elle n'est jamais allée à Nice.
Can jamais mean ever?
Yes, in questions or phrases like si jamais, it can mean "ever": Tu as jamais vu ça ? ("Have you ever seen that?"). With ne, it means "never".