Je ne veux pas rater ce match important.

I do not want to miss this important game.

Breakdown of Je ne veux pas rater ce match important.

• je: I
• ne ... pas: not
• vouloir: to want
• important: important
• ce: this
• le match: the game
• rater: to fail

Questions & Answers about Je ne veux pas rater ce match important.

Why does the French sentence use two words for the negative: ne and pas?

In standard French, a basic negation is formed with two parts wrapped around the verb:

• ne (before the conjugated verb)
• pas (after the conjugated verb)

So:

• Je veux rater ce match. = I want to miss this match.
• Je ne veux pas rater ce match. = I do not want to miss this match.

This pattern is very common:

• Je ne mange pas. = I’m not eating.
• Il ne vient pas. = He’s not coming.

In informal spoken French, people often drop ne and just say:

• Je veux pas rater ce match important.

But in writing and in formal speech, you should keep ne + pas.

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Why is the verb vouloir (je veux) used here instead of something like “I am not going to miss…”?

French often uses vouloir (to want) to talk about intention or desire, where in English we might use “going to” or just the simple future.

• Je ne veux pas rater ce match important.
  Literally: I do not want to miss this important match.
  Natural English: I really don’t want to miss this important game.

If you wanted a more direct future idea in French, you could say:

• Je ne vais pas rater ce match important. = I’m not going to miss this important match.
• Je ne raterai pas ce match important. = I will not miss this important match.

But the original sentence focuses more on the speaker’s desire/intention, not just the future fact, which is exactly what vouloir expresses.

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What’s the difference between rater and manquer for “to miss”?

Both can translate as “to miss”, but they’re used differently and have slightly different nuances.

1. Rater

   • Very common and informal-neutral.
   • Means “to miss” in the sense of failing to catch / attend / succeed.
   • Examples:
     
     • Rater un match = to miss a game
     • Rater le train = to miss the train
     • Rater un examen = to fail an exam

2. Manquer

   • More general verb “to miss”, with several meanings.
   • Common structure for missing an event/transport: manquer + direct object
     
     • Manquer le train = to miss the train
   • But for missing someone emotionally, you have to switch the subject and object:
     
     • Tu me manques. = I miss you. (Literally “you are missing to me.”)

In this sentence:

• Je ne veux pas rater ce match important.
  is very natural and common in everyday French.

Je ne veux pas manquer ce match important. is also correct, a bit more neutral/literary. Both are fine, but rater is very idiomatic in casual speech.

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Why is it ce match and not cet match or cette match?

Ce / cet / cette are all forms of the demonstrative adjective “this/that”.

They agree with the gender and starting sound of the noun:

• ce
  • masculine noun starting with a consonant
    
    • ce match, ce livre, ce garçon
• cet
  • masculine noun starting with a vowel or silent ‘h’
    
    • cet homme, cet arbre, cet hôtel
• cette
  • any feminine noun
    
    • cette fille, cette table, cette année

In your sentence:

• match is masculine and starts with a consonant sound [m],
  so you must use ce match.

So: ce match important = this important match / that important match.

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Why is the adjective important placed after the noun (match important) instead of before, like in English?

In French, most adjectives normally go after the noun:

• un match important = an important match
• un livre intéressant = an interesting book
• une décision difficile = a difficult decision

However, some very common adjectives (often short ones related to beauty, age, number, goodness, size, etc.) can go before the noun. This group is often remembered by the acronym BANGS:

• Beauty: beau, joli
• Age: jeune, vieux, nouveau
• Number: deux, plusieurs, chaque
• Goodness: bon, mauvais, meilleur
• Size: grand, petit, gros, long

Important is not typically one of these “before” adjectives. It almost always goes after:

• un projet important = an important project
• une question importante = an important question

Putting important before the noun (e.g. un important match) is possible but sounds formal/journalistic and can slightly change the nuance. For learners, it’s safest to keep important after the noun.

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Could I say Je ne veux pas manquer de ce match important?

No. That would be incorrect in this meaning.

• Manquer de quelque chose means “to lack something”:
  • Je manque de temps. = I lack time / I don’t have enough time.
  • Nous manquons de patience. = We lack patience.

For “to miss (an event/game),” you do not use de:

• Je ne veux pas manquer ce match important. ✅
• Je ne veux pas rater ce match important. ✅

So just manquer / rater + direct object, no de in this context.

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Is match masculine or feminine in French, and why?

In French, match is masculine:

• un match
• ce match
• un match important

There isn’t a logical rule you can always rely on for loanwords; you usually just have to memorize the gender. Many sports-related loanwords from English are masculine:

• un match, un sport, un club, un goal, un coach

So you say:

• Ce match est important. = This match is important.
• Je regarde un match. = I am watching a match/game.

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In everyday speech, would people really say Je ne veux pas rater…, or is there a more natural spoken version?

In informal spoken French, many people drop the ne in negation:

• Written/standard: Je ne veux pas rater ce match important.
• Very common spoken: Je veux pas rater ce match important.

Both mean the same thing. The version with ne is more formal/correct and is what you should:

• use in writing
• expect in exams
• use in careful speech

The version without ne is extremely common in everyday conversation.

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Why is the verb rater in the infinitive form here?

When you use vouloir (to want), it is followed by another verb in the infinitive (the base form):

• Je veux manger. = I want to eat.
• Nous voulons partir. = We want to leave.
• Elle ne veut pas sortir. = She doesn’t want to go out.

The structure is:

• [Subject] + [vouloir conjugated] + [infinitive]

So in your sentence:

• Je = I
• ne veux pas = do not want
• rater = to miss (infinitive)

→ Je ne veux pas rater ce match important.

That’s why rater is not conjugated here; veux is the verb that carries the tense and person.

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How would I make the sentence stronger, like “I really don’t want to miss this important match”?

You can add adverbs for emphasis, usually between ne and the verb, or after the verb:

Some natural options:

1. Je ne veux vraiment pas rater ce match important.
   = I really don’t want to miss this important match.

2. Je ne veux absolument pas rater ce match important.
   = I absolutely don’t want to miss this important match.

3. Je ne veux surtout pas rater ce match important.
   = I especially / definitely don’t want to miss this important match.

Position:

• Je ne veux vraiment pas rater…
• Je ne veux pas du tout rater…
• Je ne veux absolument pas rater…

Avoid: Je ne veux pas vraiment rater… – that suggests “I don’t really want to miss…” and is weaker or ambiguous.

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How do I pronounce Je ne veux pas rater ce match important naturally?

Key points for pronunciation:

1. Je ne veux

   • Je = like “zhuh” [ʒə]
   • ne = very light [nə]; in fast speech it can almost disappear.
   • veux = “vuh” [vø]

2. veux pas

   • Often linked smoothly: [vø pa]
   • In casual speech: Je veux pas… ([ʒə vø pa])

3. rater

   • Stress on the last syllable: [ʁa.te]
   • r is uvular French [ʁ], not an English “r”.

4. ce match

   • ce = “suh” [sə]
   • match = similar to English match, but shorter and crisper [matʃ]

5. important

   • [ɛ̃.pɔʁ.tɑ̃]
   • The -nt at the end is silent; you nasalize the an sound: [tɑ̃].

Spoken at normal speed, it might sound like:

[ʒə nə vø pa ʁate sə matʃ ɛ̃pɔʁtɑ̃]

And in informal speech, often:

[ʒə vø pa ʁate sə matʃ ɛ̃pɔʁtɑ̃] (without the ne).