Puisque tu es si occupé, tu peux ne pas venir avec nous, mon pauvre chéri.
Shouldn't the ne..pas comme before and after pouvoir? Why are they put after it?
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I guess you meant : what's the difference between "Je ne peux pas venir" et "Je peux ne pas venir".– XouDoDec 11, 2021 at 19:49
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@XouDo Silly me, yes you're right. I corrected it.– ManarDec 11, 2021 at 19:55
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1 Answer
The most usual sentence:
Tu ne peux pas venir
means : You cannot come.
The one you quote:
Tu peux ne pas venir
is less used (but perfectly understood in France), its meaning is :
- You can decide not to come.
- You have the option not to come.
It literally translates to You can not come
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in colloquial French the "ne" is usually dropped right? But that would leave the two sentences identical. Do you know how you'd go about saying "you can not come" in colloquial French? Would you be forced to preserve the "ne"?– TristanDec 12, 2021 at 10:18
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4@Tristan Indeed, ne cannot be dropped without losing the distinction. "You can not come" would probably be "T'es pas obligé de venir' in colloquial French, without any "ne". Dec 12, 2021 at 10:33