No "pas" in the expression

Question

Bonjour,

I was wondering why "pas" isnt used in "ça ne fait rien", as usually to express a negative you'd have to use "ne ... pas". Is "pas" something that has been dropped in the expression over time? And are there other expressions which also use "ne" without the "pas"?

Thanks!

Accepted Answer

Bonjour 123 3,
It is the difference between not / no  in the expression of ne pas
or nothing, anything in the expression of rien
Some verbs can omit the ne, (e.g., savoir) as unnecessary; and just pas is used.
You may like to research this further here -- https://www.wordreference.com/fren
Hope this helps.
Bonne continuation
Jim

Answer

123 3, 
‘ ne …pas ‘ is only one form of negation ( forme négative ) in French. ‘ ne … rien ‘ is another and there are more.  They convey different meanings, of course, as Jim notes.
See attached for quick overview and links to relevant lessons.
 https://progress.lawlessfrench.com/my-languages/french/glossary/24

Answer

Hi, I just realised my mistake this afternoon, cant believe i forgot that! Thank you both for answering