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Ne ... pas du tout = Not at all (French Negations)

Written by Qualified French Expert Aurélie Drouard HKH, Licence d'anglais LLCE

Last updated: 2023-09-06

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In French you can use ne ... pas du tout to insist on the negation of ne ... pas = not at all.

Je n'aime pas du tout le chocolatI don't like chocolate at all

Negative sentences with "ne ... pas du tout" in French

Note that pas and du tout CAN be separated, quite like in English.

With simple tenses

Elle n'est pas du tout stupide !She's not at all stupid!

Elle n'est pas stupide du tout !She's not stupid at all!

Pauline ne veut pas du tout dormir.Pauline doesn't want to sleep at all.

Pauline ne veut pas dormir du tout.Pauline doesn't want to sleep at all.

ne + conjugated verb + pas du tout + (infinitive)
OR
ne + conjugated verb + pas + (infinitive) + du tout

With compound tenses

Je n'ai pas du tout apprécié son attitude.I didn't appreciate his attitude at all.

Je n'ai pas apprécié son attitude du tout.I didn't appreciate his attitude at all.

Il n'est pas du tout venu.He didn't come at all.

Il n'est pas venu du tout.He didn't come at all.

ne + auxiliary avoir or être + pas du tout + past participle
OR
ne + auxiliary avoir or être + pas + past participle + du tout

On its own

You can also use pas du tout on its own:

C'est toi qui l'as fait ? - Non, pas du tout !Is it you who did it? - No, not at all!

Vous mentez. - Pas du tout.You're lying. - Not at all.

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Examples and resources

Nous ne détestons pas du tout ce film!We don't hate this film at all!