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 .
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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.
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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 .
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I don’t understand the word.
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I don’t understand the sentence.
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I don’t understand the meaning.
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the teacher
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Do you understand the teacher?
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Yes, I understand him well.
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the teacher
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Do you understand the teacher?
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Yes, I understand her well.
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the people
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Do you understand the people?
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No, I don’t understand them so well.
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the girlfriend
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Do you have a girlfriend?
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Yes, I do.
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the daughter
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Do you have a daughter?
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No, I don’t.
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