Breakdown of Il est important de ne pas ouvrir la cage.
être
to be
ne
not (used before the verb)
pas
not (used after the verb)
important
important
ouvrir
to open
il
it (impersonal subject)
de
to (introducing an infinitive after a verb)
la cage
the cage
Questions & Answers about Il est important de ne pas ouvrir la cage.
Why are ne and pas right next to each other instead of surrounding the verb?
When you negate an infinitive verb (a verb that isn't conjugated, like ouvrir), both parts of the negative, ne and pas, stay together and are placed directly before the infinitive. If the verb were conjugated, they would surround it (for example, il n'ouvre pas).
Why is there a de before ne pas ouvrir?
The phrase il est important requires the preposition de when it is followed by an infinitive. Many impersonal expressions (phrases starting with an impersonal 'it is [adjective]') use de before the action, such as il est nécessaire de or il est possible de.
Does the de always go before the ne pas?
Yes. The ne pas acts as a single block that is tightly glued to the infinitive verb ouvrir. The preposition de links the first part of the sentence (il est important) to that entire negative block. Therefore, the order is always preposition + ne pas + infinitive.
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