When to use “nein”, “nicht” or “kein/e” – negation in German
In English, “no” is “no” but in German, we have three different ways of saying “no.” Even though many German students have problems with this topic, you should not panic! After reading this article, you will know when to use “nein”, “nicht” and “kein/e.” Also, you can practice your knowledge with the free worksheet.
Negation in German
In German, we have three possibilities to express negation. To express the English “no”, we either use “nein” (no), “nicht” (no) and “kein/e” (no). As you can easily see, all of them are translated with “no” in English, and therefore it might be a bit tricky to understand when to use which. In the following, I will explain their meaning and how you can know when you should use which of them.
Recommended study materials on the topic:
A-Grammar: Practice German grammar German (incl. answers)
B-Grammar: Practice German grammar German (incl. answers)
German self-study book for A1-B1 (incl. answers)
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1. When to use “nein” in German
You can use “nein” (don’t miss the link!) as a negation if you want to give an answer to a question for example:
Q: “Wollen wir morgen Pasta essen?” – (Shall we eat pasta tomorrow?)
A: “Nein. Ich will lieber Pizza essen.” – (No. I prefer to eat pizza.)
2. When to use “nicht” in German
In German, we use “nicht”, when we like to express the negation of a verb or an adjective. In English, we use “don’t” or “isn’t/aren’t.” We put do not and is/are not before the verb, respectively, the adjective. But unlike English, we put “nicht” after the verb when negating in German. Therefore you only know if a verb is done until you listen to what happens after it – so start practicing your patience :). Now, if you ask a question that starts with the verb and you would like to state that the verb is “nicht”, then the “nicht” stays at the same position where you would have put it in the first place, and you move the verb to the first position of your sentence.
If you want to negate an adjective, we write the “nicht” before it. To gain a better understanding, please check the following examples:
Negating a German verb
Ich spiele nicht, sondern lerne für den Test. (I do not play but study for the test)
Singen die Kinder nicht in der Schule? (Don’t the children sing in school?)
Morgen arbeitet mein Vater nicht, wenn er krank ist. (My father does not work tomorrow if he is sick.)
Negating a German adjective
Die Kinder sind nicht klein. (The children aren’t small.)
Die neuen Autos sind nicht schön. (The new cars aren’t beautiful.)
Meine Freundin ist nicht neu in der Klasse. (My friend is not new in the class.)
3. When to use “kein/e”
In German, we use “kein” or “keine” to negate a noun. Choosing “kein” and “keine” depends on the gender of your German noun.
Now, in the plural form, there are no indefinite articles (like in English) because “ein” or “eine” always refer to a single thing. As this contradicts the idea of plural, one still needs to find a way to express the negation for a noun in plural. Luckily, the solution is simple: Since it shares the same definite article as the female singular “die” it will very often do the same as the female singular in German grammar. Therefore, this also applies here.
| Singular | ||
| der | ein Mann | kein Mann |
| die | eine Frau | keine Frau |
| das | ein Kind | kein Kind |
| Plural | ||
| die | / Autos | keine Autos |
The miracle of “nein”, “nicht” and “kein/e”
Now, after reading this article you should be aware of when to use “nein”, “nicht” and “kein” or “keine” and how to integrate them properly into a sentence. Last, the time has come to practice your knowledge with the free Worksheet – “How to negate in German.
Bis bald!
Steffie
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