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German - Negation

Negation in German is quite logical and relies on two main words: nicht and kein. Understanding which one to use and where to place it is the key.

Part 1: The Two Big Players - nicht vs. kein

The most important decision you have to make is whether to use nicht or kein. The rule is actually very simple.

When to use kein

Use kein to negate a noun that has either an indefinite article (ein, eine) or no article at all.

Think of kein as meaning "not a," "not any," or "no."

  • Affirmative: Ich habe einen Hund. (I have a dog.)

  • Negative: Ich habe keinen Hund. (I have no dog.)

  • Affirmative: Ich habe Zeit. (I have time.) - (Time has no article here)

  • Negative: Ich habe keine Zeit. (I have no time.)

Important: kein is an "article word," so it must be declined just like the indefinite article ein. It takes endings that agree with the gender and case of the noun it is negating.

  • Ich sehe keinen Mann. (masculine, accusative)
  • Wir helfen keiner Frau. (feminine, dative)

When to use nicht

Use nicht to negate everything else. This includes:

  • Verbs
  • Adjectives
  • Adverbs
  • Specific nouns (nouns with a definite article like der, die, das or a possessive like mein, dein)
  • Entire ideas or clauses

Think of nicht as meaning a general "not."

  • Negating a verb: Ich schlafe nicht. (I am not sleeping.)
  • Negating an adjective: Das Auto ist nicht schnell. (The car is not fast.)
  • Negating an adverb: Er fährt nicht oft. (He does not drive often.)
  • Negating a specific noun: Das ist nicht mein Auto. (That is not my car.)

Part 2: Where to Place nicht

The placement of kein is easy—it just replaces ein or goes where an article would go. The placement of nicht, however, can be tricky. Here are the rules from simplest to most complex.

Rule 1: To Negate an Entire Idea If you want to negate the main action of the entire sentence, nicht goes to the very end of the clause (or just before the second verb in a compound tense).

  • Ich kaufe das Auto nicht. (I am not buying the car.)
  • Wir gehen heute ins Kino nicht. (We are not going to the cinema today.)

Rule 2: With Past Tenses (Perfekt) or Modal Verbs nicht comes before the final verb (the past participle or infinitive).

  • Ich habe das Buch nicht gelesen. (I have not read the book.)
  • Wir können heute Abend nicht kommen. (We cannot come this evening.)

Rule 3: To Negate a Specific Element (not the whole idea) If you want to negate just one part of the sentence (an adjective, adverb, or prepositional phrase), nicht comes directly before the thing you want to negate.

  • Negating an adjective:
    • Das Wasser ist nicht kalt, es ist warm. (The water is not cold, it is warm.)
  • Negating an adverb:
    • Er fährt nicht schnell, sondern langsam. (He is driving not quickly, but slowly.)
  • Negating a prepositional phrase:
    • Wir kommen nicht aus Berlin, sondern aus Hamburg. (We don't come from Berlin, but from Hamburg.)

Part 3: Other Forms of Negation

Besides nicht and kein, German has other negative words that work very similarly to their English counterparts. When you use one of these, you do not also use nicht or kein.

  • nie / niemals - never
    • Ich trinke nie Kaffee. (I never drink coffee.)
  • nichts - nothing
    • Ich sehe nichts. (I see nothing.)
  • niemand - nobody, no one
    • Niemand ist hier. (Nobody is here.)
    • This word must be declined: Ich sehe niemanden. (I see nobody.)
  • nirgends / nirgendwo - nowhere
    • Ich kann meine Schlüssel nirgends finden. (I can't find my keys anywhere/nowhere.)

The "Neither... Nor" Construction:

  • weder ... noch
    • Ich mag weder Fisch noch Fleisch. (I like neither fish nor meat.)