French Agreement with 'So' and 'Neither': Using Inversion with aussi and non plus
Learn to agree with positive and negative French statements using the simple patterns 'moi aussi' and 'moi non plus', and learn to recognize the literary inverted forms such as 'aussi fais-je'.
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When someone says 'J'aime le thé' (I love tea) in French, you can agree by saying 'Moi aussi' (Me too). When they say 'Je n'aime pas le café' (I don't like coffee), you agree with 'Moi non plus' (Me neither). French also has a literary inversion pattern that changes the word order, loosely comparable to English 'So do I' and 'Neither do I.' This lesson teaches you the everyday pronoun agreement patterns and shows you how the inverted forms look, so you can recognize them in writing. You will learn when to use 'aussi' for positive agreement and 'non plus' for negative agreement, and why the inverted forms are rare in modern speech. By the end, you will be able to agree naturally in conversations without confusing positive and negative responses.
By the end, you can…
- agree with a positive statement using 'moi aussi' and recognize the literary inverted pattern 'aussi + verb + subject pronoun'.
- agree with a negative statement using 'moi non plus' and recognize the literary inverted pattern 'non plus + verb + subject pronoun'.
- distinguish when to use 'aussi' versus 'non plus' based on whether the original statement is positive or negative.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Moi aussi.
Me too.
mwah oh-SEE
Simple agreement with a positive statement. Use in informal conversation.
Moi non plus.
Me neither.
mwah non pluh
Simple agreement with a negative statement. The 's' in 'plus' is silent here.
J'aime le thé. — Moi aussi.
I love tea. — Me too.
zhem luh tay. — mwah oh-SEE
Positive statement followed by positive agreement. Note the liaison in 'J'aime'.
Je n'aime pas le café. — Moi non plus.
I don't like coffee. — Me neither.
zhuh nem pah luh ka-FAY. — mwah non pluh
Negative statement followed by negative agreement. The 'ne' is often dropped in speech: 'J'aime pas'.
Aussi fais-je ?
So do I? (literary inverted form)
oh-SEE fehzh
Literary inverted pattern, extremely rare in modern speech and largely confined to older written French. The hyphen links verb and pronoun. In everyday French, simply say 'Moi aussi'.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
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Useful pattern
French uses 'aussi' for positive agreement and 'non plus' for negative agreement. The everyday pattern is: 'Moi aussi' (Me too) and 'Moi non plus' (Me neither). A literary inversion also exists in which 'aussi' is placed at the beginning, followed by the verb and then the subject pronoun joined by a hyphen: 'Aussi fais-je ?' (So do I?). This inverted form is archaic and formal, found mainly in older literature; it is not used in modern conversation. In everyday speech, French speakers use 'Moi aussi' and 'Moi non plus'.
When to use it
Use 'moi aussi' when you agree with a positive statement: 'J'aime le thé.' — 'Moi aussi.' Use 'moi non plus' when you agree with a negative statement: 'Je n'aime pas le café.' — 'Moi non plus.' Do not mix them: 'Moi aussi' after a negative statement is wrong. The inverted pattern 'Aussi fais-je ?' appears only in literary or very formal writing and is not part of normal modern usage. In Quebec French, 'moi aussi' and 'moi non plus' are standard, and you may also hear 'moi itou' for 'me too' in informal speech.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
J'adore le chocolat.
I love chocolate.zha-DOR luh sho-ko-LAHMoi aussi. J'en mange tous les jours.
Me too. I eat it every day.mwah oh-SEE. zhahn mahnzh too lay zhoorJe ne bois pas de café.
I don't drink coffee.zhuh nuh bwah pah duh ka-FAYMoi non plus. Je préfère le thé.
Me neither. I prefer tea.mwah non pluh. zhuh pray-FAIR luh tayA little context goes a long way
In everyday spoken French, 'moi aussi' and 'moi non plus' are the normal way to agree. The inverted pattern with 'aussi' is archaic and literary, found mainly in older written French rather than in modern speech or writing. In Quebec, 'moi itou' is common informally. Always match the polarity: positive with 'aussi', negative with 'non plus'.
One thing to watch for
Using 'moi aussi' after a negative statement, as in 'Je n'aime pas le café. — Moi aussi.'
Try this instead: Use 'moi non plus' for negative agreement: 'Je n'aime pas le café. — Moi non plus.' 'Moi aussi' only agrees with positive statements.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you agree with 'Je parle français' using the simple pattern?
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Moi aussi.
The statement is positive, so 'moi aussi' is correct. 'Moi non plus' would be wrong because it agrees with negatives.
2What is the negative agreement for 'Je ne mange pas de viande'?
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Moi non plus.
The statement is negative, so 'moi non plus' is required. 'Moi aussi' would be incorrect.
3How would you express 'So do I' in the literary inverted pattern?
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Aussi fais-je ?
This is the literary inversion, now archaic. In everyday speech, 'Moi aussi' is the normal way to say it.
Remember: 'aussi' for positive agreement, 'non plus' for negative agreement. Use 'moi aussi' and 'moi non plus' in everyday speech; the inverted form 'aussi fais-je ?' is archaic and literary.
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