Restrictive ne … que (only)
Summary
ne … que means 'only'. It is a restriction, not a negation, so it takes no pas: « Je n'ai que dix euros » = I only have ten euros. que sits immediately before the element it restricts (« Il ne mange que des légumes »), and ne faire que + infinitive means 'to do nothing but'. It is equivalent to seulement. Do not read que as a negation, and note that ne … pas que means 'not only'.
Explanation
The structure ne … que looks exactly like a negation, because it wraps around the verb the way ne … pas does. But it does not deny anything: it restricts. It is the ordinary French way of saying 'only'. « Je n'ai que dix euros » does not mean "I don't have ten euros" — it means "I have only ten euros." You can always paraphrase it with the adverb seulement: « Je n'ai que dix euros » = « J'ai seulement dix euros. »
The crucial point of form is that ne … que takes no pas. The ne is there, but the second element is que, not pas, and adding pas changes the meaning entirely (see the last paragraph). So the frame is simply: ne (n') before the verb, then que before whatever is being limited. « Elle ne boit que de l'eau » (she drinks only water); « Nous ne restons que deux jours » (we're staying only two days).
Unlike pas, which has a fixed position right after the verb, que floats: it goes immediately in front of the element it restricts, and moving it changes what 'only' applies to. Compare « Il ne mange que des légumes le soir » (he eats only vegetables in the evening — the restriction is on the food) with « Il ne mange des légumes que le soir » (he eats vegetables only in the evening — the restriction is on the time). Place que with care.
In compound tenses and with modal-type verbs, ne wraps the conjugated verb while que introduces the restricted element that follows: « Je n'ai vu que Paul » (I saw only Paul), « On ne pouvait que sourire » (one could only smile). A very common fixed pattern is ne faire que + infinitive, meaning 'to do nothing but / to keep on doing': « Il ne fait que se plaindre » (he does nothing but complain).
Because the shape is identical to negation, learners make two errors. The first is reading the sentence as a negation and translating « Je ne bois que du thé » as "I don't drink tea" instead of "I drink only tea." The second is adding pas out of habit: « Je n'ai que dix euros » is right, « Je n'ai pas que dix euros » is a different sentence meaning "I don't have ONLY ten euros" (i.e. I have more).
Rule of thumb: if you can replace the idea with seulement, use ne … que with no pas, and slot que directly in front of the word you want to limit. Keep in mind the two special combinations — ne faire que + infinitive ('do nothing but') and ne … pas que ('not only') — and never let the ne trick you into reading a restriction as a negation.
Examples
Je n'ai que dix euros sur moi. — I only have ten euros on me. (Restriction, not negation: ne … que = 'only', no pas.)
Il ne mange que des légumes. — He eats only vegetables. (que sits right before the restricted element (des légumes).)
Elle ne fait que se plaindre. — She does nothing but complain. (Fixed pattern ne faire que + infinitive = 'to do nothing but'.)
Nous ne restons que deux jours à Lyon. — We're only staying two days in Lyon. (Equivalent to « Nous restons seulement deux jours ».)
Je n'ai vu que Paul à la fête. — I only saw Paul at the party. (In the passé composé, ne wraps the auxiliary, que precedes the restricted noun.)
Elle ne boit pas que du café. — She doesn't drink only coffee. (Contrast: ne … pas que = 'not only' (she drinks more than just coffee).)
Common mistakes
Je n'ai pas que dix euros. (intending: I only have ten euros.)
Je n'ai que dix euros. (I only have ten euros.)
The structure ne … que means "only"; it is a restriction, not a negation, so it takes no pas. To say "I only have ten euros," use « Je n'ai que dix euros » — adding pas turns it into a different meaning. « Je n'ai pas que dix euros » is grammatical, but it means "I don't have ONLY ten euros" (I have more than that). Note too that que sits immediately before the word it restricts, not next to the verb: « Il ne mange que des légumes » (he eats only vegetables) versus « Il ne mange des légumes que le soir » (he eats vegetables only in the evening). If you can replace the idea with seulement, then plain ne … que — without pas — is what you want.
Prerequisites
Related rules
restrictionne-queadverbssyntax