Je ne mange pas sur la chaise.

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Breakdown of Je ne mange pas sur la chaise.

• manger: to eat
• la chaise: the chair
• ne ... pas: not
• sur: on

Questions & Answers about Je ne mange pas sur la chaise.

Why are there two negative words, ne and pas, in the sentence?

In French, the basic negation is formed by placing ne before the verb and pas after it. So Je ne mange pas literally wraps the verb mange between ne and pas to express a negative statement.

Why is the definite article la used before chaise?

French uses definite articles (le, la, l', les) when referring to something specific or already known to the speaker and listener. Here, la chaise indicates that you and your listener both understand which chair is being talked about.

What is the role of sur in this sentence?

The preposition sur means "on" in French. By saying sur la chaise, you’re specifying the location as literally on top of the chair.

Could I say Je ne mange pas dans la chaise instead?

Technically, dans la chaise would mean "inside the chair," which is unusual unless the chair has some sort of enclosed space. In nearly all normal contexts, you’d use sur la chaise to mean "on the chair."