I. Theory and definitions - Negation with "kein" and “nicht”
*If this table doesn't display right, please turn your phone horrizontaly !
Mr. Puddle: Right, Mrs. Catalog!
She doesn't swim.
She doesn't like my car.
They don't eat breakfast.
We don't live in the city.
Sie schwimmt nicht.
Sie mag mein Auto nicht.
Sie essen das Frühstück nicht .
Wir leben in der Stadt nicht.
I don't want any money.
We don't like any car.
I don't find any books there.
He doesn't have a house
Ich will kein Geld
Wir mögen kein Auto
Ich finde dort keine Bücher
Er hat kein Haus
Take your chance and try to guess what these sentences mean !
Mrs. Purrplexed wants to play!
Position of nicht:
When we negate the verb, nicht will be at the end of the sentence:
Ich esse das Fleisch nicht.
I don't eat meat.
*The previous rule doesn't apply to adjectives, adverbs preceding the noun or phrasal/separable verbs:
Ich spreche nicht gut Deutsch
I don’t speak German well
Ich rufe sie nicht an.
I don’t call her
When we negate the noun, before the noun:
Ich esse kein Fleisch
I don’t eat MEAT
▶ Use “nicht” before:
1.Nouns preceded by : Der/ Die/ Das
Das ist nicht die Schule!
This isn’t the school!
2.Possessive pronouns: Mein, Dein, Sein etc
Das ist nicht mein Haus.
This isn’t my house.
3. Phrasal verbs such as : Spazieren gehen, Fußball spielen etc
Ich gehe nicht spazieren.
I don't take a walk
| Feminine + Plural | keine | Nominative+Accusative |
| Neuter | kein | |
| Masculine | kein | Nominative |
| Masculine | keinen | Accusative |
The negation Nicht
The negation Nicht in German
The negation Kein
The negation Kein in German
There one specific rule that you should remember that makes everything clear: we use Kein (and its variations) for indefinite articles( Ein, Eine, Einen, etc. ) and Nicht when we have defined articles (Der, Das, Die)
Mr. Kitty Paw answers:
Have you noticed?!
As you notice, “kein” negation takes on all the characteristics that an article comes with. Just add a K in front of the indefinite article to transform it into a negation.
Mr. Puddle answers:
Have you noticed?!
I see the chair. No, I don’t see any chair.
Ich sehe den Stuhl. Nein, Ich sehe keinen Stuhl!
This is a dog! No, this isn’t a dog!
Das ist ein Hund! Nein, das ist kein Hund!
▶ Don’t forget that German is all about declension (the words take on the case, the number and the gender), “kein” is declined the same way as articles.
▶ Feminine (+plural) and neuter have the same forms at Nominative and Accusative, only the masculine adds an extra -en at Accusative.
▶ Use “kein” before any noun preceded by articles ( ein/ eine/ ein, der/ die/ das) to negate it.
Hint: it’s always used in combination with the verb to be (sein)
V. Let's practice! - Negation with "kein" & “nicht”
Mr. Puddle: “Nicht” Ich spreche nicht gut Deutsch!, don’t forget to use “nicht” before adverbs/adjectives and at the end of sentence when negating verbs, otherwise you use kein.
Mr. Puddle: Ich spreche kein Deutsch”, meaning that you negate the word “German” by using “kein” because you can’t speak the language.
Mrs. Catalog: So.. when I say “ I don’t swim”, it would be :
“Ich schwimme nicht”.
Mrs. Catalog:: And when I say “I don’t speak German well”, what do I use? I forgot it!
Mrs. Catalog: Mr.Puddles! How can I say that “I don’t speak German?”
IV. Purrrfection explained! - Negation with "kein" and“nicht”
▶ As long as you follow the rules, it’s easy to remember that "kein" is used for all articles preceding a verb while "nicht" only for der, die, das and verbs.
▶ Don't forget to decline "kein" according to the noun's gender and case
▶ Watch out for "nicht"'s position because you could do mistakes: negating the verb will result in having "nicht" placed at the end of the sentence, whilst "nicht" preceding a noun would stay behind it (+adverbs and adjectives)
III. Tips & Tricks : How to learn them easily? - Negation with "kein" and“nicht”
II. Practical examples - Negation with "kein" and “nicht”
Have you ever wondered how to say: “I don’t speak German” or “I don’t have a car”? There are certain ways to express negation in German, and we'll learn them here.
To express such sentences we use “kein” and “nicht”, but what’s the difference between these two words? Learn the rules bellow ⤦
Negation with kein and nicht
Follow us & be updated!
Get where you need fast
Site menu
© 2023 Copyright Learn2Deutsch.All rights reserved.