Log inSign up

Il n'a pas de passeport.

Il n'a pas de passeport.
He does not have a passport.
From Lesson 21:Yes/no questions with "Est-ce que" (Est-ce que tu parles ?)·French

Questions & Answers about Il n'a pas de passeport.

Why is it n'a pas instead of ne a pas?
In French, when the negative word ne is followed by a word starting with a vowel (like the verb a), the e is dropped and replaced with an apostrophe. This makes it easier to say quickly!
Why does it say pas de passeport instead of pas un passeport?
This is a very important rule in French! When a sentence is negative, the indefinite articles like un (a) change to de. So, while 'He has a passport' is Il a un passeport, 'He does not have a passport' becomes Il n'a pas de passeport.
How would I turn this negative statement into a yes/no question using est-ce que?
To ask 'Does he not have a passport?', you just put est-ce que in front of the exact statement. Because il starts with a vowel, que shortens to qu', making it Est-ce qu'il n'a pas de passeport ?
If I ask 'Does he have a passport?' using est-ce que, do I still use de?
No, because the sentence is no longer negative! You would switch back to the normal word for 'a' (un), making the positive question Est-ce qu'il a un passeport ?

Learn Il n'a pas de passeport and more in French

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning French →