jamais

Etymology

From Old French ja més, jamés (“ever”), from Latin iam magis (“yet more”). Compare Spanish jamás, Italian giammai and Portuguese jamais.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʒa.mɛ/

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• (Paris) IPA^(key): /ʒa.me/
• (Louisiana) IPA^(key): [ʒɑ̃me], [hɑ̃mɛ̃], [ʒɔ̃mɛ̃]

Adverb

jamais

1. (ne ... jamais) never

   Je ne l’ai jamais vue. ― I’ve never seen her.

2. ever

   Es-tu jamais allé en France ? ― Have you ever been to France?

Further reading

• “jamais” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Etymology

From Old French ja més, jamés (“ever”), from Latin iam magis (“yet more”).

Adverb

jamais

1. ever

Etymology

From Old Portuguese jamais, from Old Occitan ja mais, from Latin iam magis. Cognate with Galician xamais, Spanish jamás, Occitan jamai, French jamais and Italian giammai.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ʒa.ˈmajs/
• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ʒa.ˈmajʃ/
• Hyphenation: ja‧mais

Adverb

jamais (not comparable)

1. never.

   Jamais estive na Inglaterra. ― I’ve never been to England.