no / none / any & nothing / nobody etc.
no + noun · none (standalone) · none of · double negatives · no- vs any- — Complete Guide
no / none / any & nothing / nobody etc.
no + nom · none (seul) · none of · doubles négations · no- vs any- — Guide Complet
Know when to use no (+ noun), none (alone), and any (after negatives). Master nothing / nobody / nowhere — and never make a double negative again.
Sachez quand utiliser no (+ nom), none (seul), et any (après les négatifs). Maîtrisez nothing / nobody / nowhere — et ne faites plus jamais de double négation.
This unit covers three overlapping negatives: no (used directly before a noun), none (used alone or with “of”), and any (used in negative sentences with a negative verb). It also covers nothing, nobody, nowhere — words which are already negative and therefore never combined with a negative verb.
Cette unité couvre trois négatifs qui se chevauchent : no (utilisé directement avant un nom), none (utilisé seul ou avec “of”), et any (utilisé dans les phrases négatives avec un verbe négatif). Elle couvre aussi nothing, nobody, nowhere — des mots déjà négatifs qui ne se combinent jamais avec un verbe négatif.
no and none — Two Ways to Express Zero
no et none — Deux Façons d’Exprimer Zéro
Use no directly before a noun. Use none when there is no noun following (or with none of). Both mean not a or not any.
Utilisez no directement avant un nom. Utilisez none quand aucun nom ne suit (ou avec none of). Les deux signifient not a ou not any.
none alone: ‘How much money do you have?’ ‘None.’ · All the tickets have been sold. There are none left.
none of: None of the students were happy. · None of it is mine. · None of them knew.
| no + noun (positive verb) | any + noun (negative verb) | none (standalone) |
|---|---|---|
| no + nom (verbe affirmatif) | any + nom (verbe négatif) | none (seul) |
| I have no luggage. | I don’t have any luggage. | ‘How much?’ ‘None.’ |
| There were no shops open. | There weren’t any shops open. | There are none left. |
| She has no experience. | She doesn’t have any experience. | None of us knew. |
nothing · nobody/no-one · nowhere — Never with a Negative Verb!
nothing · nobody/no-one · nowhere — Jamais avec un Verbe Négatif !
These words already contain a negative meaning. They are used with a positive verb — never with don’t, didn’t, isn’t, etc. Using both creates a double negative, which is a serious grammar error.
Ces mots contiennent déjà un sens négatif. Ils sont utilisés avec un verbe affirmatif — jamais avec don’t, didn’t, isn’t, etc. Utiliser les deux crée une double négation, une erreur grave de grammaire.
Jane told nobody about her plans. (= Jane didn’t tell anybody…)(= Jane didn’t tell anybody…) ✗ Jane didn’t tell nobody.
They have nowhere to live. (= They don’t have anywhere to live.)(= They don’t have anywhere to live.)
We had nothing to eat. (= We didn’t have anything to eat.)(= We didn’t have anything to eat.)
These words can stand alone as answers, or come after the verb (especially be and have):
Ces mots peuvent se trouver seuls comme réponses, ou après le verbe (surtout be et have) :
The house is empty. There’s nobody living there. · We had nothing to eat.
nobody/no-one — Singular verb, but they/them/their
nobody/no-one — Verbe singulier, mais they/them/their
Nobody/no-one takes a singular verb. But in everyday English, use they/them/their (not he/she) to refer back to them — just as with somebody/anybody.
Nobody/no-one prend un verbe singulier. Mais dans l’anglais courant, on utilise they/them/their (et non he/she) pour y faire référence — tout comme avec somebody/anybody.
No-one did what I asked them to do. (NOT him/her)(PAS him/her)
Nobody in the class did their homework. (NOT his or her homework)(PAS his or her homework)
no- vs any- — Non-existence vs Free Choice
no- vs any- — Inexistence vs Choix Libre
Sometimes any/anything/anybody etc. means “it doesn’t matter which” (see Unit 85D). Compare carefully with the no- words.
Parfois any/anything/anybody etc. signifie “peu importe lequel” (voir Unité 85D). Comparez attentivement avec les mots en no-.
no- = DOES NOT EXIST / zero
no- = N’EXISTE PAS / zéro
any- = FREE CHOICE (it doesn’t matter)
any- = CHOIX LIBRE (peu importe)
Complete with no, none or any.
Complétez avec no, none ou any.
Answer these questions using none / nobody / nothing / nowhere.
Répondez à ces questions avec none / nobody / nothing / nowhere.
Remember: use a POSITIVE verb with these words. No double negatives!
Rappel : utilisez un verbe POSITIF avec ces mots. Pas de double négation !
Complete with no- or any- + -body / -thing / -where.
Complétez avec no- ou any- + -body / -thing / -where.
Which is right? Write the correct option.
Lequel est correct ? Écrivez la bonne option.
Frequently Asked Questions — no/none/any · nothing/nobody
Questions fréquentes — no/none/any · nothing/nobody
No is used directly before a noun: There were no taxis. None stands alone (without a noun) or with “of”: ‘How much money?’ ‘None.’ · None of the students passed. Never say “none taxis” or “no of the students”.
No s’utilise directement avant un nom. None se trouve seul ou avec “of”. Ne dites jamais “none taxis” ou “no of the students”.
Because “nothing” already contains a negative meaning, and “didn’t” is also negative. Choose one: ✓ I said nothing. OR ✓ I didn’t say anything. Never: ✗ I didn’t say nothing.
Parce que “nothing” contient déjà un sens négatif. Choisissez-en une : ✓ I said nothing. OU ✓ I didn’t say anything.
Both are correct. None of the students was happy is formally correct. None of the students were happy is also widely accepted. In everyday spoken English, the plural form is more common.
Les deux sont corrects. La forme plurielle est plus fréquente dans l’anglais parlé courant.
Nothing = zero, an absence: ‘What do you want?’ ‘Nothing. I’m not hungry.’ Anything (free choice) = it doesn’t matter what: ‘What do you want?’ ‘Anything. I don’t mind.’
Nothing = zéro, une absence. Anything (choix libre) = peu importe quoi.
Yes, nobody and no-one mean exactly the same thing and are interchangeable. Both take a singular verb and are followed by they/them/their: No-one/Nobody has finished their work yet.
Oui, nobody et no-one ont exactement le même sens et sont interchangeables. Ils sont suivis de they/them/their.
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