Kooyeen  +  373109 Thu, 31 May 07 04:16 PM Hi, What languages do you not speak? What languages don't you speak? What languages can you not speak? What languages can't you speak? What languages are not spoken here? What languages aren't spoken here? What languages is Mary not learning? What languages isn't Mary learning? How do I ask a "negative" question, asking what something or somebody doesn't do or is not? I feel my versions are ok (that's the way to ask), but contractions are not used (so only the first in each pair should sound natural). Thank you Kooyeen Joined on Thu, Dec 22 2005 Italy Senior Member 4,969 Parental Advisory / Explicit Posts Negatives, Contractions

	Bokeh  +  373119 Thu, 31 May 07 04:42 PM  Kooyeen wrote: I feel my versions are ok (that's the way to ask), but contractions are not used (so only the first in each pair should sound natural). None of your questions sound very natural because the scope of answers is too broad. Contractions are fine though for negative questions and are probably used more frecuently: Isn't the meeting at 2 o'clock. (yes/no) Doesn't he work as a firefighter. (yes/no) Why didn't the train stop in ... (because... it was a fast) Haven't you seen Star Wars. (yes/no) Bokeh Joined on Sun, Mar 18 2007 Spain Regular Member 531 Negatives, Contractions

	Kooyeen  +  373167 Thu, 31 May 07 06:59 PM Thanks Bokeh, of course yours are ok, but they are different. I am asking what someone doesn't do, not what they do. I'm asking what something is not, not what it is... Kooyeen

	nona the brit  +  373170 Thu, 31 May 07 07:02 PM Contractions are fine in negative sentences. nona the brit Joined on Wed, Sep 22 2004 England Veteran Member 11,713 The name says it all. Negatives, Contractions

	Kooyeen  +  373173 Thu, 31 May 07 07:06 PM Thanks Nona So all of my examples should be ok. Kooyeen

	Lil' Ruby Rose  +  373176 Thu, 31 May 07 07:12 PM Yes, they're all grammatically possible.  However, as Bokeh pointed out, I doubt you'd hear any of them in natural conversations.  Your suggestion that if people were to use that kind of construction, they'd tend to use the full version rather than the contraction was not correct - and that's what both Bokeh and Nona were saying.  If we did say something like this, we'd tend to use a contraction. Lil' Ruby Rose Joined on Wed, Dec 20 2006 Regular Member 879 Enlightenment is always preceded by confusion. Conversations, Constructions, Contractions

	Kooyeen  +  373209 Thu, 31 May 07 07:51 PM Hi Rose, yes, they could seem strange... they are strange, actually, but if you want to know what I was thinking of... - I am learning Japanese. - Good. That must be an interesting language... I like Spanish. I'm learning it. - I'm learning Spanish too. - Really? - Yeah. I'm also learning Chinese, Arabic, French, Italian, German, Portuguese, Russian, Jamaican creole, Swedish, Finnish... - Wait, wait a second... that's not possible. Are you even learning Hindi? - Yep. - Dammit, what languages aren't you learning then? Thank you Kooyeen

	Lil' Ruby Rose  +  373216 Thu, 31 May 07 07:56 PM he he!  I like the sound of that show-off polyglot! In this context, I think you could get away with saying "what languages aren't you learning"- but I think I'd tend to say "Dammit, are there any languages you aren't learning?" Lil' Ruby Rose