How to say “can’t” in French

In French, “can’t” is expressed using the negative form of the verb “pouvoir” (to be able to).

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🔹 The Structure

The negative form in French uses “ne” + verb + “pas”.

So:

Je peux = I can
Je ne peux pas = I can’t

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📖 Conjugation in the Present Tense

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🗣️ Casual Spoken French (Important!)

In real conversations, “ne” is often dropped, so:

• Je ne peux pas → sounds like “Je peux pas”

• Pronunciation: “zhuh puh pah”

This is very common and natural in informal speech.

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🧾 Examples

1. Je ne peux pas venir.
   = I can’t come.
   ➤ zhuh puh pah vuh-neer

2. Il ne peut pas manger de gluten.
   = He can’t eat gluten.
   ➤ eel puh pah mahn-zhay duh glue-ten

3. Nous ne pouvons pas attendre.
   = We can’t wait.
   ➤ noo poo-vohn pah a-tahndr

4. Je peux pas t’aider. (informal)
   = I can’t help you.
   ➤ zhuh puh pah tay-day

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🧠 Tip to Remember

• Pouvoir = to be able to

• Add “ne … pas” to say can’t

• In real speech: drop the “ne” → “Je peux pas”

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