When to use de with French negation

Question

Why is there no de with this sentence? J'espère ne pas faire d'erreurs.I hope not to make a mistake.

Accepted Answer

Lori, 
The verb 'espérer' does not require a following preposition. 
The use of a preposition following the initial conjugated verb and before the negation-infinitive is determined by the verb/verb expression preceding the negation. 
This is discussed further in the QandA below the link you have included - see responses from Cécile, Chris, and me about 1 -2 years ago.

Answer

Hi Lori,
The 'de' here is the partitive.
In the affirmative, it would be -

J'espère faire des erreurs ------> J'espère ne pas faire d'erreurs
J'espère faire du bruit -------> J'espère ne pas faire de bruit 
J'espère faire de la confiture ------> J'espère ne pas faire de confiture

The lesson you need is the following -
Du/de la/de l'/des all become de/d' in negative sentences (French Partitive Articles)
I hope this helps!

Answer

Cécile,

I think Lori’s question relates to the absence of ‘ de ‘ following espérer in the example she quotes. The partitive ‘ de ‘ following faire is in the example she questioned. She asks ‘ why is there no de ‘, not “ why is the de present “

The question arises however because all of the other examples in the lesson are expressions which have either the preposition de or à as part of their verbal construction for the conjugated verb.

The reference to ‘indirect speech’ in the title is also misleading as some, but not all of the examples are indirect speech. The negation of verbs in the infinitive is all the title needs.

https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/indirect-speech/

Answer

Thanks, Maarten, I completely misread the question!!!!
As to your other point regarding the 'indirect speech' in the title and the lesson I will raise this with the rest of the team.

Answer

Cécile, I read it the same way at first too. I only noticed the discordance in the lesson title when looking at this sentence written in first person.