Negation in German and its different forms

Negation in German

Negation in German grammar is formed with the words nicht  (not) and kein  (no/none) . The tricky part is understanding when to use nicht and when to use kein and where to put them in a sentence .

When to use “nicht” :

We use nicht to negate sentences in German . Nicht can be placed in different parts of a sentence depending on what we want to negate or emphasise . We use nicht :

  •  at the end of a sentence with verbs in simple tenses i.e. the present or past tense .  Ex : Er schläft nicht .
  • before the definite article or possesive pronouns used with nouns . Ex : Er hat nicht das Essen bezahlt, sondern die Getränke .
  • before names and proper nouns . Ex : Das ist nicht Udos Auto, sondern Susis .

  • before pronouns . Ex : Ich habe nicht dich gerufen, sondern Petra .
  • before adjectives . Ex : Das ist nicht fair !
  • before adverbs . Ex : Sie geht nicht gerne schwimmen .
  • before prepositions with indicators of place, time, and manner . 

 

 

When to use “kein” :

We use kein in the negation of German sentences :

  • with nouns that don’t have an article . Ex : Ich habe Hunger. – Ich habe keinen Hunger .
  • instead of an indefinite article . Ex : Das ist eine Katze. – Das ist keine Katze .

When to Use “Nein” :

“Nein” , the simplest form of “no” in German, is used to answer a yes or no question. It can stand alone or be followed up by a sentence.

English German
  • Are you hungry?
  • no


  • Hast du Hunger?
  • Nein

Other Useful Negative Expressions :

Did you know , for example, that there are two ways of saying “never”? They are nie  and niemals . These two words are interchangeable, but nie is more commonly used . If you use these words, you won’t need to use nicht or kein .

To conclude , in order to form a negative sentence in German keep in mind to use nein to answer a question, nicht to negate a verb, adjective or adverb, and kein/keine to negate a noun .

I don’t understand the word.

I don’t understand the sentence.

I don’t understand the meaning.

 
 
 
 
the teacher

Do you understand the teacher?

Yes, I understand him well.

 
 
 
 
the teacher

Do you understand the teacher?

Yes, I understand her well.

 
 
 
 
the people

Do you understand the people?

No, I don’t understand them so well.

 
 
 
 
the girlfriend

Do you have a girlfriend?

Yes, I do.

 
 
 
 
the daughter

Do you have a daughter?

No, I don’t.