Confusion with ne...pas.

Question

Confusion with ne....pas. First I thought always de after ne... pas. Then I read there is an exception when être is used. Use un/une. What is happening then in this example?Les filles jouent au foot? Non, elles ne jouent pas au foot. Is there a lesson that explains all the options?

Answer

Bonjour Renate,
I am unsure of what you have read about the use of «de» following the negative; however, I found this on another resource site that supports your statement.  (I find that researching other sites at times can give me another viewpoint concerning a question that I might 
have. I did find this article on a site that supports the non-use of «de» following the negative 
In a negative sentence, the indefinite articles un, une, des are replaced by «de or d'»: 
Tex: Joe-Bob, tu as un chien?	 	
Joe-Bob: Mais non! Je n'ai pas de chien. Je suis un écureuil.	 	
Tex: Corey, tu as des amis?	 	
Corey: Mais non! Je n'ai pas d'amis. Je suis un cafard.	 	
*****However, following the verb «être», the indefinite articles «un, une, des» remain unchanged in the negative: 
Edouard: Joe-Bob, c'est un écureuil. Ce n'est pas un tatou!	 	
Tex et Tammy, ce sont des tatous. Ce ne sont pas des escargots.

J'espère que ma réponse vous aidera.

Answer

Oui. Un Peu. Merci.