Editing Litotes (section)

===French===
In [[French language|French]], {{lang|fr|[[wikt:pas mal|pas mal]]}} (not bad) is used similarly to the English, while {{lang|fr|il n'est pas antipathique}} ('he is not disagreeable') is another example, actually meaning {{lang|fr|il est très sympathique}} ('he is nice'), though the speaker is reluctant to admit it. Another typical example is {{lang|fr|Ce n'est pas bête!}} ('It's not stupid'), generally said to admit a clever suggestion without showing oneself as too enthusiastic. (As with all litotes, this phrase can also be used with its literal meaning that the thing is not stupid but rather may be clever or occupy the middle ground between stupid and clever.)

One of the most famous litotes of French literature is in [[Pierre Corneille]]'s {{lang|fr|[[Le Cid]]}} (1636). The heroine, Chimène, says to her lover Rodrigue, who just killed her father: {{lang|fr|Va, je ne te hais point}} ('Go, I hate you not'), meaning 'I love you'.