Breakdown of Vous ne pouvez pas toucher ce poisson !
vous
you (plural/formal)
ne
not (used before the verb)
pas
not (used after the verb)
ce
this (before a noun)
Questions & Answers about Vous ne pouvez pas toucher ce poisson !
Why is the verb form pouvez used here instead of peux?
How does the negative 'not' work with two verbs in this sentence?
In French, the negative words ne and pas wrap around the conjugated verb like a sandwich. Here, pouvez is the conjugated verb, giving us ne pouvez pas. The second verb, toucher (to touch), comes directly after the pas.
Why does toucher end in -er instead of matching the 'vous' form?
When two verbs are used together in French, only the first one is changed (conjugated). Since pouvez is already conjugated to match vous, the second verb toucher stays in its dictionary form (the infinitive), which simply means 'to touch'.
Why do we use ce for 'this' instead of ça?