Hi Aurelie

Question

I am a bit confused. Is it correct to say "je n'ai pas de chien mais deux?" I read about the exception when "etre" is used however I'm confused because when we say they don't have a dog, but two I see that "une" chien is being used.

Accepted Answer

"Je n'ai pas de chien mais deux" isn't entirely correct (as I understand it). What you are saying is "I don't have A dog but two." You really want to say "I don't have ONE dog but two." Therefore you'd say something like: "Je n'ai pas un chien mais deux." This is better -- and grammatically correct -- but a native speaker wouldn't say it this way either, I believe. You would hear something like: "Je n'ai pas juste un chien, j'en ai deux." Which translates to "I don't have just one dog, I have two of them."

-- Chris (not a native speaker)