The opposite of ne… jamais is toujours (always, forever), but sometimes jamais can be used as a synonym for toujours in more formal or poetic contexts (just as “ever” can be a synonym of “always”). Never again will I cut my hair Since you put your hands in itĬaptions 6-7, Charles-Baptiste - Sale type Play Caption
Plus jamais je ne me couperai les cheveux Depuis que tu as mis tes mains dedans More than ever, the birds are under high surveillance.Ĭaption 32, Le Journal - La grippe aviaire Play Captionĭon’t confuse this with the negative expression ne… plus jamais (never again), which Charles-Baptiste uses extensively (in an inverted form) in his love song “Sale Type” (Dirty Guy): Les oiseaux sont plus que jamais sous haute surveillance. Si jamais is a very common expression that usually is not broken up, like “if ever” is (which is why you have si jamais on a envie instead of si on a jamais envie above, but “if we ever feel” instead of “if ever we feel”).Īnother common expression is plus que jamais, “more than ever”:
If we ever feel like going to skate over there.Ĭaption 18, Cap 24 - Démonstration de roller freestyle Play Caption Si jamais on a envie d'aller skater là-bas. Le plus gros tricks que j'aie jamais fait.Ĭaption 7, Cap 24 - Démonstration de roller freestyle Play Caption But jamais doesn't always have a negative meaning, and sometimes is better translated as “ever.” In fact, as with the word “ever,” there are plenty of instances in which jamais can be used by itself (without the ne) to have a positive meaning.Ĭyril uses jamais in this way two times while showing us some of his impressive rollerblading skills: An easy way to remember that the French word for “never” is actually two words is to note that “never” is just another way of saying “not ever,” which is the literal translation of ne jamais. Technically, jamais only means “never” when it’s attached to a ne (though the ne is sometimes dropped in informal speech).
They tell us that the buses are never on time.Ĭaption 11, Cap 24 - Les bus sont-ils toujours en retard ? Play Caption On nous dit que les bus ne sont jamais à l'heure. The French word jamais usually means “never,” in the negative construction ne… jamais: