This key facts covers Key rules at a glance within Trap words: mais, finalement and negation flips for GCSE French. Revise Trap words: mais, finalement and negation flips in Listening Traps for GCSE French with 15 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. This topic shows up very often in GCSE exams, so students should be able to explain it clearly, not just recognise the term. It is section 3 of 4 in this topic. Use this key facts to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
📌 Key rules at a glance
- ne…pas: straightforward negation — "does not"
- ne…plus: no longer — something that used to be true is now false
- ne…jamais: never — stronger negation, often tested against "sometimes/always"
- ne…rien: nothing — often confused with "something" in gist questions
- mais / finalement / en fait: correction signals — what comes after is the real answer
- au début / avant / autrefois: time-shift signals — switch from past opinion to current one
- presque / à peine: "almost / barely" — the action is not complete
- trop / assez / vraiment: modifiers that intensify or limit — do not ignore them
Practice questions for Trap words: mais, finalement and negation flips
What does 'sauf' mean in French?
What does 'actuellement' mean in French?
Quick recall flashcards
sauf
except / apart from — a key negation trap word: 'J'aime tous les sports sauf le rugby' means they DON'T like rugby
en fait
in fact / actually — used to correct or contradict. What follows 'en fait' overrides what came before.