When you are putting a verb into the tu form of an affirmative comand like don't eat any. Why is it N'en mange pas and not manges (the tu form of manger)
I emailed SraJMcGinn this post.
Thanks:)
The Imperative (Command form) of regular verbs are the same as the corresponding forms of the Present Indicative except for the omission of the subject pronouns tu, vous, and nous.
EXCEPTION: the familiar form of "-er" verbs, drops the final "s". This is what answers your question above.
Present Tense: tu aides (you help/you do help/you are helping)
Imperative: aide = HELP
IN YOUR EXAMPLE: Tu n'en manges pas (Present Indicative = you aren't eating any OR you don't eat any) VS N'en mange pas (Imperative = Do NOT eat any OR Don't eat any.)
*You may not have the affirmative yet, but in that case any pronoun (le, la, l', en, etc.) goes AFTER the verb and is attached to it. Example: mange-en (Eat some)
Feel free to ask any question you might have.
Sra (aka Mme)
oh ok thanks!!!!
When forming a negative command in French, the direct object pronoun "en" is often used instead of the regular subject pronoun like "tu." The use of "en" allows you to avoid repeating the verb and provides a more concise way to express the negative command.
To understand why it is "N'en mange pas" instead of "manges," we need to break down the sentence structure.
1. Start with the verb: "manger" (to eat).
2. Form the negative command for "tu": "ne + verb + pas." So, it would be "Ne mange pas" (Don't eat).
3. However, since we want to specify "don't eat any," we need to include the pronoun "en" to replace the unspecified quantity or object that you are not supposed to eat.
4. To include "en," we place it before the verb and keep the rest of the sentence structure the same. So, "Ne + en + verb + pas." Hence, it becomes "N'en mange pas" (Don't eat any).
In summary, when forming a negative command with "en" in French, the structure is "Ne + en + verb + pas." This allows you to specify and replace an unspecified quantity or object.