Why is pero used and not sino?
Could "No puedo salir hoy sino saldré mañana." be used or would this be incorrect?
Sino wouldn't work in that particular sentence though I can see why you think it should. You would need a very different sentence, as it is designed specifically to make the use of pero clear.
In the lesson there is a clarification which made all the difference for me. They give two sentences and I have copied / pasted the paragraph.
""Money is not everything but it helps a lot" and "Andrea is not a boys name but a girl's name." In the first example we are adding an idea that makes a contrast with the first negative idea (pero). In the second example we are not adding an idea but giving a substitute to the first negative idea (sino)."
So in your sentence "No puedo salir hoy pero saldré mañana" the meaning is like "I can't go out today BUT I CAN go out tomorrow." She/He is offering / adding another possibility or idea; she /he wants to go out but can't do so today. It's a subtle difference but when you look at the "sino" examples it begins to make sense.
I hope that helps.
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