"Ne... jamais" is the most common way to say "never" in French, but it's far from the only one. As you learn French, you'll find there are many nuances to negation, and sometimes you'll want to express a stronger or more specific sense of "never." Let's explore 9 different ways to say "never" in French and when to use each of them!

The standard 'never' – ne...jamais

The French negative expression for “never” is ne...jamais. It’s used to indicate that an action or event has not happened at any point in time, or will not happen.

Like most French negative constructions, ne...jamais consists of two parts: ne (or n’ before a vowel or mute h) and jamais. These parts bracket the conjugated verb in simple tenses.

In simple tenses (like the present, imperfect, or future simple), ne comes before the conjugated verb, and jamais comes after it.For example: Je ne mange jamais de viande. (I never eat meat.)

In compound tenses (like the passé composé, plus-que-parfait), ne comes before the auxiliary verb (avoir or être), and jamais comes after the auxiliary verb.For example: *Tu **n'*as jamais visité Paris. (You have never visited Paris.)

When the verb is in the infinitive form, both ne and jamais typically precede the infinitive.For example: Il a décidé de ne jamais mentir. (He decided never to lie.)

Jamais can also be used on its own as a short, emphatic answer meaning “never.”For example: Tu as déjà vu ça ? – Jamais ! (Have you ever seen that? – Never!)

While ne...jamais means “never,” jamais itself can sometimes be used alone for emphasis in specific contexts or questions, but ne is almost always required for a full negative sentence.

💡 * Je ne bois jamais de café le soir. (I never drink coffee in the evening.)

Elle n'est jamais allée en Asie. (She has never been to Asia.)

Nous ne parlons jamais de politique à table. (We never talk about politics at the table.)

Vous ne devez jamais abandonner vos rêves. (You must never give up your dreams.)

Il ne faut jamais dire jamais. (You must never say never.)

The emphatic 'never ever' – jamais de la vie

The emphatic “never ever” – jamais de la vie

When "never" just isn't strong enough, French speakers turn to the powerful phrase jamais de la vie. This expression is the ultimate way to say "never ever," "never in my life," or "not on your life," conveying absolute refusal or impossibility.

Literally translating to "never of the life," jamais de la vie adds an intense emotional layer to jamais (never). It implies that something is so unthinkable or unacceptable that it would never happen under any circumstances during one's entire existence.

This phrase is perfect for vehemently declining an offer, a suggestion, or a request. If someone asks you to do something you find completely out of the question, jamais de la vie is your go-to response for a definitive and emphatic no.

Beyond refusal, jamais de la la vie can also express strong disbelief or the absolute impossibility of an event. It's used when you believe something will simply never come to pass, often with a touch of indignation or certainty.

While highly emphatic, jamais de la vie is generally used in informal or conversational contexts. It carries a strong personal conviction and is less common in formal writing or speech, where a simple jamais might suffice.

💡 * "Tu viendrais avec nous au concert?" "Jamais de la vie !" (Would you come with us to the concert? Never ever!)

Je ne ferais ça jamais de la vie. (I would never ever do that in my life.)

Lui pardonner ? Jamais de la vie ! (Forgive him? Never in my life!)

On ne verra ça jamais de la vie. (We will never ever see that.)

The 'never again' – plus jamais

When you want to express a strong, definitive 'never again' in French, the phrase you're looking for is plus jamais.

Literally translating to 'more never,' plus jamais acts as a powerful negation, signifying that something will absolutely not happen again or has stopped permanently.

Like other French negations involving ne, plus jamais typically frames the conjugated verb. The structure is usually ne + verb + plus jamais.

It's important to distinguish plus jamais from ne...jamais (which simply means 'never'). While ne...jamais indicates something has never happened, plus jamais implies a cessation of an action or state that did happen previously.

This phrase often carries a strong emotional weight, conveying a sense of finality, determination, or even regret, much like its English equivalent 'never again'.

You'll often hear plus jamais in contexts where someone is making a firm resolution, expressing a strong dislike, or recounting a negative experience they wish to avoid repeating.

Plus jamais is your go-to phrase for declaring an absolute end to an action or situation, emphasizing that it will not recur.

💡 * Je ne ferai plus jamais cette erreur. (I will never make that mistake again.)

Il ne reviendra plus jamais ici. (He will never come back here again.)

Plus jamais ça ! (Never again! / Never again that!)

Après cette expérience, je n'y irai plus jamais. (After this experience, I will never go there again.)

Elle a dit qu'elle ne lui parlerait plus jamais. (She said she would never speak to him again.)

The 'never before' – jamais auparavant

The phrase jamais auparavant directly translates to 'never before' in English. It's used to emphasize that something has not occurred or been experienced at any point in the past.

Jamais means 'never,' and auparavant means 'before' or 'previously.' Together, they form a strong negation that highlights the unprecedented nature of an event or situation.

This phrase is often employed in more formal or literary contexts to underscore the unique or exceptional quality of an occurrence. It adds a touch of dramatic emphasis, making the 'never before' aspect particularly salient.

Jamais auparavant typically follows the conjugated verb in compound tenses, or it can be placed at the beginning or end of a sentence for stylistic effect, especially in more formal writing.

💡 *Une telle opportunité ne s'était jamais auparavant présentée. (Such an opportunity had never before arisen.)
*Il n'avait jamais auparavant vu une chose pareille. (He had never before seen such a thing.)
*Jamais auparavant la ville n'avait connu une telle chaleur. (Never before had the city experienced such heat.)
*Ce niveau de performance n'a jamais auparavant été atteint. (This level of performance has never before been achieved.)
*Elle a ressenti une joie qu'elle n'avait jamais auparavant imaginée. (She felt a joy she had never before imagined.)

The 'absolutely never' – jamais au grand jamais

The 'absolutely never' – jamais au grand jamais

Jamais au grand jamais is an emphatic French expression meaning 'absolutely never,' 'never ever,' or 'never, under any circumstances.'

It's a stronger version of jamais ('never'), used to intensify negation and leave no room for doubt or possibility in a statement.

This phrase conveys a very strong, definitive refusal or a complete impossibility, often used in situations demanding absolute finality.

Grammatically, it typically follows the ne...jamais structure, as in Je ne ferai jamais au grand jamais cela (I will absolutely never do that).

Using jamais au grand jamais adds significant emotional weight, conveying strong conviction, frustration, or a solemn promise.

💡 * Je ne mangerai jamais au grand jamais de brocoli. (I will absolutely never eat broccoli.)

Elle ne reviendra jamais au grand jamais vers lui. (She will never, ever go back to him.)

Nous n'abandonnerons jamais au grand jamais nos rêves. (We will absolutely never give up on our dreams.)

Il ne trahira jamais au grand jamais ses amis. (He will never, under any circumstances, betray his friends.)

Jamais au grand jamais je n'oublierai ce jour. (Never, ever will I forget this day.)

The 'never without' – jamais sans

The phrase jamais sans literally translates to “never without” in English. It’s a concise and impactful way to express that someone is always accompanied by a particular item or person, or that an item is indispensable to them.

You’ll often hear jamais sans used to describe a personal object that someone considers essential and always carries with them. It implies a strong attachment or a habit of constant companionship, much like saying 'I can’t live without it' or 'it’s my constant companion'.

Beyond just stating presence, jamais sans conveys a sense of deep reliance or even affection for the item. It’s frequently used in a slightly informal, almost declarative manner, sometimes appearing as a standalone phrase or at the end of a sentence.

This phrase is so evocative that it’s sometimes used in marketing or as a personal motto, similar to how one might say 'Always with my coffee' or 'My camera, always with me.' It’s short, memorable, and clearly communicates indispensability.

💡 *Mon carnet de notes, jamais sans. (My notebook, never without it.)
*Elle est jamais sans son sac à main. (She's never without her handbag.)
*Un bon livre, jamais sans. (A good book, never without one.)
*Jamais sans mes écouteurs. (Never without my headphones.)
*Pour voyager, jamais sans mon passeport. (To travel, never without my passport.)

The 'never enough' or 'never too much' – jamais assez / jamais trop

In French, to express the idea of 'never enough' or 'never too much,' you'll use the phrases jamais assez and jamais trop respectively. These expressions are crucial for conveying a sense of insufficiency or desired abundance.

Jamais assez literally translates to 'never enough' and is used when something is lacking or insufficient. Conversely, jamais trop means 'never too much' and implies that an abundance of something is not a problem, or even desirable.

These phrases typically follow the verb they modify, or an adjective/adverb they quantify. They are part of the negative construction, where jamais signifies 'never' and works with ne (e.g., ne...jamais assez or ne...jamais trop).

💡 * Il n'y a jamais assez de café le matin. (There's never enough coffee in the morning.)

On n'est jamais trop prudent. (You can never be too careful.)

Elle ne lit jamais assez de livres. (She never reads enough books.)

Avec les desserts, on n'est jamais trop gourmand. (With desserts, you can never be too greedy.)

Je n'aurai jamais assez de mots pour exprimer ma gratitude. (I'll never have enough words to express my gratitude.)

The 'never seen' (or heard, etc.) – jamais vu / jamais entendu

While déjà vu (already seen) is widely known, French also offers expressions for the opposite sensation: encountering something familiar as if it’s entirely new. These are jamais vu (never seen) and jamais entendu (never heard).

Jamais vu describes the eerie feeling of looking at something or someone you know well, yet perceiving it as unfamiliar or completely new. Similarly, jamais entendu is the sensation of hearing a familiar sound or word and experiencing it as if you've never heard it before. These are often considered a cognitive disturbance, the inverse of déjà vu.

Typically, jamais vu and jamais entendu are psychological terms describing a transient memory anomaly. While they can be symptoms in medical contexts (e.g., certain neurological conditions), they can also be experienced by healthy individuals, often due to fatigue or stress. They convey a sense of profound unfamiliarity with something that should be known.

The structure of jamais + past participle can be extended beyond 'seen' and 'heard' to express other 'never' sensations. For instance, you could say jamais goûté (never tasted) for a familiar food that suddenly seems foreign, or jamais senti (never felt/smelled) for a familiar texture or scent that feels new.

💡 * Après une longue nuit blanche, j'ai eu un jamais vu en regardant ma propre cuisine. (After a long sleepless night, I had a jamais vu looking at my own kitchen.)

J'ai prononcé le mot, et soudain, c'était un jamais entendu. (I pronounced the word, and suddenly, it was a jamais entendu.)

Ce visage m'est familier, mais j'ai une sensation de jamais vu. (This face is familiar to me, but I have a jamais vu sensation.)

Le musicien a décrit une expérience de jamais entendu avec une mélodie qu'il avait composée. (The musician described a jamais entendu experience with a melody he had composed.)

C'est comme un jamais goûté pour ce plat que je mange toutes les semaines. (It's like a jamais goûté for this dish I eat every week.)

The 'never in my life' (as a strong denial) – jamais de ma vie

To express a very strong denial in French, equivalent to saying “never in my life” or “absolutely never” in English, the most common and emphatic phrase is jamais de ma vie.

This powerful expression literally translates to never of my life. Let's break it down: jamais means “never,” de means “of” or “from,” ma means “my,” and vie means “life.” Together, they form an unshakeable refusal or statement of never having done something.

Jamais de ma vie is used to convey a very strong, often indignant, refusal or to emphasize that something has never happened or will never happen. It's a definitive statement, leaving no room for doubt or compromise. It can be used as a standalone interjection or to reinforce a negative verb.

While it can stand alone as a direct answer, jamais de ma vie often appears at the end of a sentence to add extra weight to a negative statement. For instance, you might say Je n'ai jamais fait ça de ma vie (I have never done that in my life) or Non, jamais de ma vie ! (No, never in my life!).

💡 * Tu as triché à l'examen ? Jamais de ma vie !

Je ne fumerai jamais de ma vie.

Crois-tu que je ferais une chose pareille ? Jamais de ma vie !

On ne m'a jamais offert un tel cadeau de ma vie.

Il n'a jamais vu un tel spectacle de sa vie.

Are there other ways to say 'never' in French?

Our list primarily focuses on ne... jamais, the most common way to say 'never' in French. However, the language offers a range of expressions, from more emphatic phrases to subtle nuances, and even regional or informal alternatives that convey similar meanings of absolute negation.

While ne... jamais is standard, you might encounter other expressions depending on context or region. You can explore this by searching online for 'comment dire jamais en ___' followed by a specific Francophone country or region to uncover local idioms or slang.

You might discover interesting alternative expressions for jamais through your research. Remember to always verify a word’s precise meaning and observe its usage in context before incorporating it into your active vocabulary.

Cultivate an attentive ear and eye as you immerse yourself in French media — reading, watching, and listening. You'll undoubtedly encounter diverse ways to express 'never' or absolute negation.

For a deeper dive into the nuances of 'never' and other forms of negation in French, the WordReference entry for jamais is an excellent starting point, offering various examples and related terms.

I hope this article has been helpful in understanding how to say 'never' in French. To conclude, a fitting French proverb: 'Il ne faut jamais dire jamais.' (You should never say never.)

9 ways to say "never" in French