pas
part of speech
adverb (French «pas» = not); noun (a pas — a step in ballet; plural pas); in phrases «faux pas», «pas de deux» — not an English word on its own
meaning for a pupil
1) (French) «Pas» means «not» in French, used with «ne»: «je ne sais pas» is «I don't know»; in casual French people often just say «pas». tree →
2) (French, ballet) «Pas» means «a step» in dance: a «pas de deux» is a dance for two people. tree →
3) «A faux pas» (from French, meaning «false step») is an embarrassing social mistake, like saying the wrong thing at a party. To an English ear «pas» sounds like «pah». tree →
4) In some old dialect spellings, "pas" means "past", as in "ran past". tree →
sense in the lessons
In the Tanakh and Jewish tradition: Part of a place name, Pas-dammim, where David and his warriors stood against the Philistines in a field of barley. Interpretation: Pas-dammim is a battle site; the tradition sees it as a place where God gave Israel victory through David's men. In the primary lessons: In French lessons «pas» is part of the negative: «ce n'est pas grave» (it's not a big deal), «pas du tout» (not at all), «pas mal» (not bad). In ballet classes «pas» names steps. In English, «a faux pas» is used in everyday talk for a social blunder. Also, in French «un pas» is a footstep.
examples
- He was with David at Pas-dammim, and there the Philistines were gathered together to battle, where was a plot of ground full of barley; and the people fled from before the Philistines. (Writings 1CH.11.13, JPS 1917) tree →
- «Je ne sais pas» means «I don't know». tree →
- «Pas mal!» means «not bad!» tree →
- «Pas du tout» means «not at all». tree →
- In ballet, a «pas de deux» is a dance for two. tree →
- Wearing trainers to the wedding was a bit of a faux pas. tree →
- French «pas» sounds like «pah», and the «s» is silent. tree →
- «Ce n'est pas grave» means «it doesn't matter». tree →
- "Col'!" exclaimed Uncle Remus; "hit got pas' col' on der quarter stretch. tree →
note
French, not English, except in borrowed phrases like «faux pas» (said «foh pah»). The «s» is silent. Do not confuse with «pa» (informal for father) or «pass».
In the corpora
- Je n'aime pas les légumes means "I don't like vegetables": with like and dislike, les stays even after pas.
- Ne becomes n' before a vowel: je n'aime pas, je n'ai pas; ne and pas go round the verb.
- After pas, des becomes de: J'ai des bonbons, but Je n'ai pas de bonbons.
- Ne goes before the verb and pas after it: je n'aime pas, il n'est pas là.
- daI pas! means pass it to me!
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «pas» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.