FR: I'm sorry that I can't help you tomorrow

[erick]

I've forgotten the mechanics or word placement of making this negative statement in French: "I'm sorry that I can't _______."
For example, would I say:
Je suis désolé de pouvoir pas t'aider demain.
Je suis désolé de pas pouvoir t'aider demain.
Je suis désolé de ne pouvoir pas t'aider demain ...
The presence of "ne" and "pas" sometimes confounds me. What would the correct rule be? Merci!

 

[jester.]

The correct word order is Je suis désolé de ne pas pouvoir ...

Before an infinitive ne and pas go together.

 

[TJB]

Although in the case of "pouvoir" the "pas" is often omitted:

"Je suis désolé de ne pouvoir t'aider."

 

[erick]

Thanks. Confusing ... any rule or device to help remember when it's the "ne" or the "pas" that can be omitted?
For a regular indicative negative sentence, it's the "ne" that we drop. «Je (ne) suis pas chinois, je suis japonais.»

 

[jester.]

Dropping "ne" should only happen in spoken language.
Dropping "pas" only happens in written language, as far as I know. The dropping of pas refers to certain verbs only, but I don't exactly know which ones these are. Writing "pas" is always correct. Not writing "ne" is always wrong.

Greetings,
j3st3r

 

[charlie2]

These earlier threads should give you a better idea:
FR: Negation (pas, rien, plus, personne, etc.) without "ne" in colloquial speech
FR: savoir, pouvoir, oser, cesser - "ne" without "pas" in the negative
FR: "ne" without "pas" - "ne" explétif / "ne" littéraire