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I'm a bit confused how to use ne ... que ... connecting a clause.

First, “You have never proved that light is of primary importance, can be said in French as:

Vous n'avez jamais prouvé que la lumière est de première importance.

, where que is used to lead a clause.

Then, “You have never proved anything except the importance of light.” can be said in French as:

Vous n'avez jamais prouvé que l'importance de la lumière.

, where que is used as ne ... que pattern .

But, how shall I say in French

You have never proved anything except that light is of primary importance.

, when both appear?

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  • Your sentence "Vous n'avez jamais prouvé que l'importance de la lumière." is incomplete. You could have said soemthing like Vous n'avez jamais rien prouvé d'autre que l'importance de la lumière.
    – None
    Jul 27, 2016 at 6:21
  • @StéphaneGimenez Je pense qu'il faut respecter la charte pour maintenir la qualité du site or mes commentaires ne sont que des traductions. Il est difficile d'éviter la traduction si on répond à cette question. Je réfléchis pour voir comment enrober la chose pour que ça ne passe pas pour une traduction.
    – None
    Jul 27, 2016 at 9:06
  • As strange as it may be, to French ears, your second sentence, “Vous n'avez jamais prouvé que l'importance de la lumière” is a slightly obsolete phrasing which could be interpreted as “What you proved is nothing but the (unremarkable) importance of light ”. It wouldn't be understood as in the English sentence you compare it with. Jul 27, 2016 at 9:10
  • @StéphaneGimenez exactly.... I'm learning by myself with and quoting from the book "French for reading" by Karl C. Sandberg (amazon.com/French-Reading-Karl-C-Sandberg/dp/0133316033) , first published in 1968.
    – athos
    Jul 27, 2016 at 10:44

2 Answers 2

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Ne... que cannot be used to translate except.

Je n'ai visité que Paris.
I only visited Paris.

There are several ways we can say except in French when it means apart from, nothing... but:

J'ai visité toute la France sauf Paris.
J'ai visité toute la France à l'exception de Paris.
J'ai visité toute la France en dehors de Paris.

Nevertheless you cannot use either of them for what you want to say without introducing a grammatical object to "prouver" that will be different from the subordinate clause ("que la lumière est d'une importance primordiale.")

Vous n'avez jamais rien prouvé en dehors du fait que la lumière est de première importance.
Vous n'avez jamais rien prouvé à l'exception du fait que la lumière est de première importance.

I would not use "sauf", as it would take here another meaning than "à l'exception de" here, more opposition than exception.

"Hormis" or "mis à part" are other good options:

Vous n'avez jamais rien prouvé hormis le fait que la lumière est de première importance.
Vous n'avez jamais rien prouvé mis à part (le fait) que la lumière est de première importance.


Note that your sentence:

Vous n'avez jamais prouvé que l'importance de la lumière.

(which I'd rather write as: "Vous n'avez jamais prouvé autre chose que l'importance de la lumière.")

as Stéphane Gimenez says in his comment does not mean "You have never proved anything except the importance of light." This turn of phrase in French only serves to belittle what you are talking about (it's nothing but...)

Note #2: I'd use d'une importance primordiale rather than de (la) première importance, but that's a personal choice only, nothing wrong with de première importance.

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  • To Laure: Is it acceptable to use the word "hormis" in everyday speech as well? Sometimes I come across words in a dictionary that are designated as "littéraire", which is true for the "hormis". Merci. Jul 27, 2016 at 12:08
  • 2
    @LUNA Hormis belongs more to written language than to oral language, and of a higher register than * à l'exception de* but one cannot say it is not acceptable.
    – None
    Jul 27, 2016 at 12:15
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Ma proposition :

Vous n'avez rien (prouvé/montré/démontré), si ce n'est que la lumière est cruciale

Montrer is weaker than prouver and demontrer.
If you provide some examples and elements corroborating something, then use montrer.
If you provide a full demonstration that can't be overturned, then use prouver or demontrer.

crucial is an adjective qualifying something being of primary importance.

si ce n'est que + clause translates except that

Other possible sentences :

Exception faite de l'importance capitale de la lumière, vous n'avez rien démontré.
Vous n'avez rien prouvé, hormis que la lumière est cruciale.
Si on met de coté le caractère crucial de la lumière, vous n'avez rien montré.

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