Do People leave out 'ne' in spoken french?
I have heard that the french usually leave out 'ne' in spoken french when they speak in everyday conversation for example they might say 'je fume pas' instead of 'je ne fume pas'. Is this true and if so then why?

Question

Answer

Yes, it is true. French people omit the "ne" all the time in informal contexts and this involves some phonetical changes:

Je ne sais pas --> Je sais pas --> j'sais pas (often pronounced as "chépa")
Je ne vois personne --> Je vois (j'vois) personne

However, you should be aware that the standard, correct form is "je ne sais pas" and be ready to use it in formal contexts.