Breakdown of Il ne va pas vendre son bateau.
il
he
ne
not (used before the verb)
pas
not (used after the verb)
son
his/her/its
aller
to go
vendre
to sell
le bateau
the boat
Questions & Answers about Il ne va pas vendre son bateau.
Where do ne and pas go when making a near future sentence negative?
They wrap around the conjugated form of aller (to go). In this sentence, they go around va to make ne va pas. You never put them around the infinitive verb (vendre).
Why isn't the verb vendre conjugated?
Because this sentence uses the near future structure. To say someone is 'going to' do something, you conjugate aller to match the subject (giving us va), and leave the action verb in its full, unchanged dictionary form (the infinitive). So vendre stays exactly as it is.
Does son bateau mean 'his boat' specifically because the subject is Il (he)?
Learn Il ne va pas vendre son bateau 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