French Phrase
Non, je travaille pas le week-end.
Meaning
This sentence is a short, informal way to say “No, I don’t work on the weekend.” The speaker is refusing or clarifying that they have no work obligations during Saturday and Sunday.
When to use
Use it when someone asks if you are available for a weekend shift, a social invitation that conflicts with work, or simply to explain your free‑time schedule. It’s common in casual conversation; in formal writing you would keep the full "ne…pas" construction.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Nonjetravaillepasleweek-end.
Negation particle "pas"
In spoken French the "ne" is often omitted, leaving "pas" after the verb to make a negative statement.
Subject pronoun "je"
The first‑person singular pronoun, always placed before the verb.
Present tense of "travailler"
Regular -er verb; stem "travaill-" + ending "-e" for "je".
Definite article "le"
Used before a masculine singular noun; here it introduces the borrowed noun "week‑end".
Borrowed noun "week‑end"
A French adaptation of the English word, written with a hyphen and masculine gender.
🗨In Conversation
Tu peux travailler ce week-end ?
Can you work this weekend?
Non, je travaille pas le week-end.
No, I don’t work on the weekend.
✕Common Mistakes
Non, je travaille le week-end.
Missing the negation particle "pas"; the sentence becomes affirmative.
Non, je ne travaille pas le weekend.
In French the borrowed noun is written with a hyphen and masculine article.
Non, je ne travaille pas le week‑end.
While grammatically correct, using the full "ne…pas" in casual speech can sound overly formal.
↔Alternatives
Non, je ne travaille pas le week‑end.
No, I don’t work on the weekend.
Non, je ne bosse pas le week‑end.
No, I don’t work on the weekend.
Non, je ne travaille pas pendant le week‑end.
No, I don’t work during the weekend.
Cultural Tip
In everyday French, especially among younger speakers, the "ne" of the negative construction is frequently dropped, leaving just "pas" after the verb. However, in formal contexts (e.g., business emails, academic writing) you should keep the full "ne…pas". Also note that "week‑end" is masculine, so you say "le week‑end" and not "la week‑end".