{"id":118900,"date":"2023-09-15T10:26:19","date_gmt":"2023-09-15T14:26:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/ne-que-seulement\/"},"modified":"2025-02-03T09:02:23","modified_gmt":"2025-02-03T14:02:23","slug":"ne-que-seulement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/french\/ne-que-seulement\/","title":{"rendered":"When to Use Ne … Que vs. Seulement in French"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two French expressions, ne … que<\/em> and seulement<\/em>, both translate to \u201conly\u201d but are used in distinct ways. While seulement<\/em> is more conversational and straightforward, ne … que<\/em> tends to be more formal and structured.<\/p>\n

I’ll outline their usage through clear explanations, practical examples and tips for switching between the two.<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Seulement<\/em><\/h2>\n

Meaning<\/h3>\n

Seulement<\/em> is generally more informal and conversational<\/strong> than\u00a0ne … que<\/em>, meaning you are more likely to hear this used in a dialogue or basic short story<\/a>.\u00a0Seulement<\/em> can be thought of as simpler because it is only one word.<\/p>\n

The adverb<\/a> form of seul\u00a0<\/em>(alone),\u00a0seulement\u00a0<\/em>usually follows a verb.<\/strong><\/p>\n

For instance, one might say:<\/p>\n

Elle travaille seulement<\/strong> pendant la semaine.<\/em> (She only works during the week.)<\/p>\n

However, placement can change the meaning, so put\u00a0seulement<\/em> right where you want to emphasize “only.”<\/strong> Sounds confusing, right? I will show you what I mean (do note that seulement\u00a0<\/em>never goes before<\/strong> the conjugated verb):<\/p>\n

Elle a pay\u00e9 seulement<\/strong>\u00a0un euro pour le m\u00e9tro. <\/em>(She paid only one euro for the metro.)<\/p>\n

Here we are emphasizing the good deal she got, as in she paid a mere euro for the metro. So we place\u00a0seulement<\/em> directly after the verb payer<\/em>. Note that the word order in our English translation is the same as in the French.<\/p>\n

Elle a pay\u00e9 cinq euros seulement<\/strong> pour le m\u00e9tro. <\/em>(She paid five euros only\/just for the metro.)<\/p>\n

Here we are emphasizing how expensive the metro was; she paid five euros and all she got out of it was the fare for the metro. This is why we wait to put seulement<\/em> after the amount.<\/p>\n

In the first sentence, we are emphasizing the small amount she paid; here, we are emphasizing what she got for that money.<\/strong> Again, the word order in English is the same as the French. (However, in this case, in English, “just” makes a more smooth translation.)<\/p>\n

Examples<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Il avait seulement<\/strong> le temps pour me rencontrer pour dix minutes. <\/em>(He only had enough time to meet me for ten minutes.)<\/p>\n

This one is pretty straightforward. We use\u00a0seulement<\/em> to communicate the fact that his time was limited. We put\u00a0seulement\u00a0<\/em>right after the verb because the emphasis is on “he” and the time he had.<\/p>\n

\u00c0 l’\u00e9picurie, on doit acheter seulement<\/strong> des fraises et du lait. <\/em>(At the market, we only need to buy strawberries and milk.)<\/p>\n

Here,\u00a0seulement<\/em> goes after the infinitive<\/a> acheter<\/em>\u00a0because we are emphasizing the limited number of items we must buy.<\/p>\n

Les enfants veulent manger seulement<\/strong> du chocolat.<\/em> (The kids only want to eat chocolate.)<\/p>\n

Again,\u00a0seulement\u00a0<\/em>comes after the infinitive because the emphasis is on the action of eating.<\/p>\n

Ne … Que<\/em><\/h2>\n

Meaning<\/h3>\n

As you can see, whereas\u00a0seulement\u00a0<\/em>is a single word,\u00a0ne … <\/em>que\u00a0<\/i>is made up of two which literally mean “not … that.” This makes ne\u00a0<\/em>… que <\/i>more formal and literary<\/strong> than\u00a0seulement<\/em>. In terms of meaning, however, the two are equivalent and are both translated as “only.”<\/p>\n

Ne … que<\/em> is a sentence construct, meaning we put a word or words in between\u00a0ne<\/em> and\u00a0que<\/em> to construct a phrase.<\/strong> I will show you what I mean.<\/p>\n

The basic word order<\/a> looks like this:<\/p>\n

ne<\/em> + verb +\u00a0que\u00a0<\/i>+ rest of thought<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

For example, one might say:<\/p>\n

Vouz\u00a0n<\/strong>‘avez qu<\/strong>‘un sac ? <\/i>(You only have one bag?)<\/p>\n

We put our verb, avoir<\/em>, right between\u00a0ne<\/em> and\u00a0que<\/em>.<\/p>\n

However, like with\u00a0seulement<\/i>, placement can impact meaning; while ne<\/em> always goes between the subject and the conjugated verb,\u00a0que<\/i> may shift a bit.\u00a0Let’s look at an example:<\/p>\n

Elles n<\/strong>‘ont mang\u00e9 qu<\/strong>‘au restaurant.<\/em> (They ate only at the restaurant.)<\/p>\n

As in they did not eat anywhere else. They ate, but the restaurant was the only place where they did so. To express this, we put\u00a0que<\/i>\u00a0directly before the prepositional<\/a> phrase au restaurant<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Elles n<\/strong>‘ont que<\/strong> mang\u00e9 au restaurant.<\/em> (They only ate at the restaurant.)<\/p>\n

As in they did not do anything else or go anywhere else. The only activity they did was eating at the restaurant. Here, we put\u00a0que\u00a0<\/i>directly before the verb manger<\/em>\u00a0because we are emphasizing that eating is the only thing they did. In other words, we are focusing on the action, not the location.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Examples<\/h3>\n

Let’s look at a few more examples.<\/p>\n

Je ne<\/strong> veux qu<\/strong>‘aller en Provence.<\/em> (I only want to go to Provence.)<\/p>\n

Here, we put\u00a0que\u00a0<\/em>right before aller<\/em> because that begins the phrase explaining what the subject wants to do: aller en Provence\u00a0<\/em>(go to Provence).<\/p>\n

Tu ne<\/strong> penses\u00a0qu<\/strong>‘aux jeux vid\u00e9os ! <\/em>(You only think of video games!)<\/p>\n

Here, que\u00a0<\/em>follows the general word order, going directly after the conjugated verb. This makes sense as well because aux<\/em> begins the phrase that tells us that the only thing the person thinks about is: aux jeux vid\u00e9os<\/em>\u00a0(about video games).<\/p>\n

Je suis certaine qu’il ne<\/strong> boit que<\/strong> du th\u00e9. <\/em>(I am certain he only drinks tea.)<\/p>\n

Similarly,\u00a0que <\/em>goes after the\u00a0<\/em>main verb boit<\/em> and begins the phrase du th\u00e9<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Practice Switching Them Up<\/h2>\n

Since\u00a0seulement<\/em> and\u00a0ne … <\/em>que<\/em> are interchangeable, one of the best ways to become comfortable using them is to take sample sentences and switch them.<\/strong><\/p>\n

For instance, if I replace\u00a0seulement<\/em>\u00a0with\u00a0ne … que<\/em>\u00a0in the sentence:<\/p>\n

Maintenant, j’ai seulement<\/strong> une autre phrase \u00e0 \u00e9crire.<\/em> (Now I only have one more sentence to write.)<\/p>\n

It becomes:\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

Maintenant, je n<\/strong>‘ai qu<\/strong>‘une autre phrase \u00e0 \u00e9crire.<\/em><\/p>\n

Let’s take a look at some more examples of seulement <\/em>and ne … <\/em>que<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>used interchangeably:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Seulement<\/strong><\/em><\/th>Ne ... que<\/strong><\/em><\/th>English Translation<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Nous sentons \u00e0 l'aise seulement<\/strong> dans notre ville natale. <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Nous ne<\/strong> sentons \u00e0 l'aise que<\/strong> dans notre ville natale. <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>We only feel comfortable in our hometown.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
On aime la pizza seulement<\/strong> aux champignons. <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> On n<\/strong>'aime que<\/strong>\u00a0la pizza aux champignons. <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>We only like pizza with mushrooms.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tu habitais seulement<\/strong> aux \u00c9tats-Unis. <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Tu n<\/strong>'habitais qu<\/strong>'aux \u00c9tats-Unis. <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>You have only lived in the United States.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Je sors seulement<\/strong> les apr\u00e8s-midis. <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Je ne<\/strong> sors\u00a0que<\/strong> les apr\u00e8s-midis. <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>I only go out in the afternoon.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Il ach\u00e8te seulement<\/strong> ce qui est n\u00e9cessaire. <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Il n<\/strong>'ach\u00e8te que<\/strong> ce qui est n\u00e9cessaire. <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>He only buys what is necessary.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

So, did you notice a pattern?\u00a0Seulement<\/em> goes where\u00a0que\u00a0<\/i>was and vice-versa. Remember, ne\u00a0<\/em>always precedes the conjugated verb.<\/strong><\/p>\n

You can practice switching ne … que <\/em>and seulement<\/em> in sentences with the podcast Fran\u00e7ais Facile<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>(Easy French). Simply scroll down to find the exercises if you want to try your hand at “the switch.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

To really get a handle on these words, it is important to read and listen to French material. There is simply no better way to master these concepts than to see them at work and note how they are used.<\/p>\n

The more your brain is exposed to them, the more natural it will become to use them.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

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Two French expressions, ne … que and seulement, both translate to \u201conly\u201d but are used in distinct ways. While seulement is more conversational and straightforward, ne … que tends to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":507,"featured_media":249901,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"slim_seo":{"title":"When to Use Ne ... Que vs. Seulement in French | FluentU French Blog","description":"Ne ... que and seulement both mean \"only\" in French, but are used in slightly different ways. In this post, I'll teach you how to use ne ... que and seulement in French with the help of example sentences so you can compare the sentence structure and see how these words are used in context. Click here to start learning!"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[570,571],"tags":[],"coauthors":[675],"class_list":["post-118900","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-french","category-french-vocabulary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118900","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/507"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=118900"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118900\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":240966,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118900\/revisions\/240966"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/249901"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=118900"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=118900"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=118900"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=118900"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}