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Course: French English Spanish Greek
Explanations in: Greek English Spanish French
B2

L'inversion après une expression négative

Never have I seen…, Not only…, Hardly had I…, No sooner… than.

Dans la langue soutenue, quand une expression négative ou restrictive est placée en tête, on inverse sujet et auxiliaire, comme dans une question.

ExpressionExempleFrançais
Never / Rarely / SeldomNever have I seen such a mess.Jamais je n'ai vu un tel désordre.
Not only… but alsoNot only did he lie, but he also stole.Non seulement il a menti, mais il a aussi volé.
Hardly / Scarcely… whenHardly had I arrived when it started to rain.À peine étais-je arrivé qu'il s'est mis à pleuvoir.
No sooner… thanNo sooner had she left than he called.Elle venait à peine de partir qu'il a appelé.
Under no circumstancesUnder no circumstances should you open it.En aucun cas vous ne devez l'ouvrir.
Only then / Only whenOnly then did I understand.Ce n'est qu'alors que j'ai compris.

Test yourself

  1. Réécris : I have never heard such nonsense. (Never…)
    Show answer
    Never have I heard such nonsense.
  2. Réécris : He didn't only forget, he also lied. (Not only…)
    Show answer
    Not only did he forget, but he also lied.
  3. Complète : No sooner ___ we sat down than the phone rang.
    Show answer
    had
  4. Complète : Only later ___ I realise my mistake.
    Show answer
    did