Ne [verb] pas
N' [verb beginning with a vowel] pas
Why would habite have a n' in front of it (n'habite pas), not Ne habite pas? H is not a vowel (right)? Just asking because I got it wrong on a test when I put Ne habite pas.
Is it because habite is pronounced with out the h?
The French don't sound the h, so it's treated as a voiceless vowel at the beginning of a word.
Ohh, ok thanks Ms. Sue.
You're welcome, Peeps.
There are actually two "h's" in French. In th e dictionary, when you see an asterisk (*) it means that that is a "voiced/sounded" h. Ordinarily, the "h" is unvoiced/unsounded, as Ms. Sue explained. Then the first sound you hear is the "vowel" after it; in this case it the "a" which is why it is je n'habite pas BUT hacher* = to grind = je ne hache pas.
Sra (aka Mme)
Ok thanks for helping me understand about the letter h in French SraJMcGin :). I wonder why my French teacher didn't mention this before.
It could depend upon your level of French, but that was an excellent question, showing you notice things!
Sra (aka Mme)