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Le problème n'est pas difficile.

Le problème n'est pas difficile.
The problem is not difficult.
From Lesson 15:Basic verbal negation (ne... pas)·French

Questions & Answers about Le problème n'est pas difficile.

Why is it n'est pas and not ne est pas?
In French, when the word ne comes right before a verb that starts with a vowel (like est), the e is dropped and replaced with an apostrophe. This makes it smoother and faster to say. So, ne est pas becomes n'est pas.
How does the negative 'sandwich' work here?
To make a sentence negative in French, you wrap the verb in two words. The ne (or n' here) goes right before the conjugated verb (est), and the pas goes right after it, creating the negative sandwich: n' + est + pas.
The word problème ends in an 'e'. Why does it use the masculine word for 'the' (le)?
While many French words ending in 'e' are feminine, problème is a common exception. It is completely masculine, which is why we use le instead of la. You just have to memorize this one!
If le problème is masculine, why does the adjective difficile end in an 'e'?
The standard, masculine dictionary form of difficile already ends in an 'e'. When a French adjective naturally ends in an 'e' in its base form, you do not add another one, and it stays exactly the same for both masculine and feminine nouns.

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