Breakdown of Je n'ai pas acheté le pain. J'ai oublié mon portefeuille !
je
I
avoir
to have
ne
not (used before the verb)
pas
not (used after the verb)
acheter
to buy
mon
my (mon, ma, mes)
le pain
the bread
oublier
to forget
le portefeuille
the wallet
Questions & Answers about Je n'ai pas acheté le pain. J'ai oublié mon portefeuille !
Where exactly do ne and pas go in Je n'ai pas acheté?
In the passé composé, ne and pas act like a sandwich around the helper verb (in this case, ai). The order is always: subject + ne + helper verb + pas + past participle. You never put pas after the main action verb (acheté).
Why is it n'ai in the first sentence, but J'ai in the second?
Both are examples of dropping a vowel before another vowel to avoid a clunky sound! In the negative first sentence, ne is right next to ai, so it drops its 'e' to become n'ai. In the positive second sentence, Je is next to ai, so it becomes J'ai. Notice it is Je n'ai and not J'n'ai—you only drop the vowel of the word directly touching the helper verb.
The English translation says "I did not buy." Is that what Je n'ai pas acheté literally means?
Literally, it translates to "I have not bought." French doesn't use a translation for the English helper word "did." The French passé composé covers both "I did not buy" (a simple finished action) and "I have not bought" (an action linked to now).
How did we get the words acheté and oublié?
These are the past forms (called past participles) of the regular verbs acheter (to buy) and oublier (to forget). To make this past form for any verb ending in -er, you simply drop the -er and add an -é.
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