Question 1

Wait, where is pas? Don't we need it to make the sentence negative?

Accepted Answer

In French, the standard negative is ne... pas (not). But when you want to say "no longer" or "not anymore", you completely replace pas with plus. So, nous n'achetons pas means "we don't buy", while nous n'achetons plus means "we don't buy anymore".

Question 2

Why is it plus de bonbons and not plus des bonbons? The word candies is plural!

Accepted Answer

This is a strict rule in French: after a negative expression like ne... pas or ne... plus, the indefinite articles un, une, and des change to de (or d' before a vowel). Even though you are talking about plural candies, you must say plus de bonbons.

Question 3

Do I pronounce the "s" at the end of plus here?

Accepted Answer

No, the "s" is completely silent here. When plus is used to mean "anymore" in a negative sentence, you do not pronounce the "s" unless the next word starts with a vowel. Since the next word here is de, which starts with a consonant, you just say "plu".

Question 4

Why does it say n'achetons instead of ne achetons?

Accepted Answer

The negative word ne always drops its "e" and becomes n' when the verb immediately after it starts with a vowel or a silent "h". Since achetons starts with an "a", they merge into n'achetons to make the sentence flow better when speaking.

Question 5

Does bonne résolution mean exactly the same thing as a New Year's resolution?

Accepted Answer

Yes! In French, une bonne résolution refers to exactly the same concept: a promise you make to yourself to do something good or stop a bad habit, especially at the start of a new year.

Nous avons une bonne résolution : nous n'achetons plus de bonbons.

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