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Table of Content Chapter 16 16.6.3 Personne (nobody) and aucun (no one)

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Chapter 16: Pronouns

  16.6.3 Personne (nobody) and aucun (no one)

16.6.3.1 Personne (nobody / not anybody)

We have already discussed the negation ne ... personne in the french survival guide 2.There we have also seen the difference in the form of negation with personne and aucun, because it does not cling around the conjugated verb, but all of the verbs.

Examples no difference)
  Je ne vois rien. <=> I see nothing.
  Je ne vois personne. <=> I see nobody.
BUT:
  Je n' ai rien vu. <=> I have seen nothing.
  Je n' ai vu personne. <=> I have seen nobody.
  Je ne peux rien voir. <=> I cannot see anything.
  Je ne peux voir personne. <=> I cannot see anybody.
  Je n' ai rien pu voir. <=> I could not have seen anything.
  Je n' ai pu voir personne. <=> I could not have seen anybody.

This changes, if personne or rien is subject of the clause. Then the negation particle is after personne or rien and not before.

Examples (no difference)
  Rien ne pourra le faire changer d' opinion. <=> Nothing will change his opinion.
  Personne ne savait ce qui se passait. <=> Nobody knew, what was going on.
 
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