Learn French Grammar: Restricting Actions with Ne...que

Grammar

Restriction, not negation

Ne...que is a restriction construction, not a negation. The sentence is affirmative, and the two elements of the bracket frame the conjugated verb: ne before the verb and que before the restricted element.

Je ne mange que des légumes. — I only eat vegetables
Il ne boit que de l'eau. — he drinks only water
Nous ne partons que demain. — we are leaving only tomorrow

None of these sentences is negative. Each one limits the scope of the verb to a single element, and the affirmation remains intact.

What can be restricted and how

Restricted element	Example	English
direct object	Je ne lis que des romans.	I only read novels.
indirect object	Il ne parle qu'à sa sœur.	He only talks to his sister.
time expression	Nous ne partons que demain.	We are leaving only tomorrow.
place	Elle ne travaille qu'à Lyon.	She only works in Lyon.
infinitive	Je ne peux que partir.	I can only leave.
subject (with il n'y a que)	Il n'y a que Paul qui soit venu.	Only Paul came.

Placement of que

The position of que determines which element is being restricted. It always sits immediately before the restricted element, whether that element is a noun, an adverb, or an infinitive.

Je ne lis que des romans. — the restriction applies to the object
Je ne lis des romans que le soir. — the restriction applies to the time expression
Je ne peux que partir. — the restriction applies to the infinitive

In the first sentence, the restriction applies to the object, so the meaning is that the speaker reads nothing but novels. In the second, the restriction applies to the time, so the meaning is that the reading happens only in the evening. The two sentences contain the same words in a different order, and the position of que is the only difference.

The article keeps its full form

After ne...que, the direct object keeps the article it had in the affirmative sentence. Unlike a negation, the restriction does not reduce the partitive or indefinite article to de.

Je bois du café. becomes Je ne bois que du café.
The negation of the same sentence is Je ne bois pas de café.
The affirmative Je mange des légumes. becomes Je ne mange que des légumes.

The partitive du and the plural indefinite des both stay in their full form after que. Only the standard negation reduces them to de, and the restriction never does.

Ne...que, ne...pas, and ne...pas que

Three constructions share the same opening but produce different meanings. Ne...pas negates the verb, ne...que restricts the verb to a single element, and ne...pas que combines negation and restriction into the meaning of not only.

Negation: Je ne mange pas de viande. — no meat at all
Restriction: Je ne mange que de la viande. — only meat
Negation with restriction: Je ne mange pas que de la viande. — not only meat, but other things as well

The three constructions are all standard French. The plain restriction affirms the object and excludes everything else. The combined form ne...pas que affirms the object and adds that other elements are also included. The two elements pas and que appear in that order inside the bracket.

Examples

Je ne mange que des légumes.

Que sits immediately before the object des légumes, and the restriction applies to that object alone.

Il ne boit que de l'eau.

The partitive de l' stays in its full form after que, since the restriction does not reduce the article the way a negation does.

Nous ne partons que demain.

The restriction applies to the time expression demain, which follows que directly.

Elle ne travaille qu'à Lyon.

Que elides to qu' before the vowel-initial à. The restriction applies to the place.

Il ne parle qu'à sa sœur.

The restriction applies to the indirect object. The elision of que to qu' is mandatory before the vowel-initial preposition.

Restricting Actions with Ne...que (La restriction avec ne...que)

What you’ll learn

Grammar

Restriction, not negation

What can be restricted and how

Placement of que

The article keeps its full form

Ne...que, ne...pas, and ne...pas que

Watch out for these

Examples

Exercises

What you’ll learn

Grammar

Restriction, not negation

What can be restricted and how

Placement of que

The article keeps its full form

Ne...que, ne...pas, and ne...pas que

Examples

Exercises

Related lessons