{"id":93088,"date":"2023-12-13T00:32:02","date_gmt":"2023-12-13T05:32:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/german-negation\/"},"modified":"2025-06-11T06:27:20","modified_gmt":"2025-06-11T10:27:20","slug":"german-negation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/german\/german-negation\/","title":{"rendered":"German Negation Explained"},"content":{"rendered":"

The ability to express the negative is an essential step on your path to conquering German. Learn the rules of negation in German, and you’ll find that a world of opportunity opens up in front of you.<\/p>\n

In this post, we have the complete guide for learning German negation. If you’re interested in all the ways to say “no” in German, you can also check out this post on using nein<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0Nicht<\/em> vs.\u00a0Kein
\n<\/em><\/h2>\n

German negation is commonly expressed using the words nicht<\/em> (not) and kein<\/em> (no, none). Generally, kein <\/em>is used for common nouns that use indefinite articles (or no articles) or to mean “none,” while nicht <\/em>is used for everything else.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Let’s take closer look at their uses!<\/p>\n

When to use kein<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t
What Kein<\/em> Negates<\/th>Example<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
A noun
\n(when neither definite article<\/a> or indefinite article is present)
\n<\/td>		 Es gibt keine<\/strong> Bananen. <\/a>\n *<\/em>\u00a0
\n(There are no<\/strong> bananas.)
\n
\n*Careful: in English, you could also use \"not\" to say es gibt nicht Bananen<\/em> (there aren't bananas), but this is not grammatically correct in German!
\n
\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
In place of a noun to mean \"none\"
\n(when the subject is already known)<\/td>		 Gibt es Bananen? <\/a>\n \u00a0<\/em>
\n(Are there bananas?)
\n
\n Nein, es gibt keine<\/strong>. <\/a>\n <\/em>**
\n(No, there are none<\/strong>.)
\n
\n**Just like the indefinite article<\/a>\u00a0 ein <\/a>\n <\/em> (a, an), kein<\/em> needs to be \"declined\"\u2014i.e., its ending needs to change accordingly to indicate the plural.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

When to use nicht<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
What Nicht<\/em> Negates<\/th>Example<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
A verb<\/a><\/td> Er schwimmt nicht<\/strong>. <\/a>\n \u00a0<\/em>
\n(He does not<\/strong> swim.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
A noun
\n(when a definite article is present)<\/td>		 Ich kenne den Film nicht<\/strong>. <\/a>\n <\/em>
\n(I do not<\/strong> know the film.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
A proper noun
\n(i.e., a name)<\/td>		 Sie hei\u00dft nicht<\/strong> Maria. <\/a>\n <\/em>
\n(Her name's not<\/strong> Maria.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
A possessive adjective<\/a><\/td> Das ist nicht<\/strong> mein Auto. <\/a>\n <\/em>\u00a0
\n(That's not<\/strong> my car.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
An adjective<\/a> or adverb<\/a><\/td> Diese Banane ist nicht<\/strong> reif. <\/a>\n <\/em>\u00a0
\n(This banana is not<\/strong> ripe.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Where to put nicht<\/em><\/h3>\n

Generally, nicht<\/em> goes at the end of the sentence. However, nicht<\/i> also goes before a specific word when it’s the subject to be negated, rather than the whole sentence, like in:<\/p>\n

Kommt Maria morgen?<\/em> (Is Maria coming tomorrow?)
\nNein, nicht<\/strong> Maria kommt, sondern Franz.<\/em> (No, Maria is not<\/strong> coming, but rather Franz.)<\/p>\n

In the above, you’re emphasizing that it’s Maria who isn’t coming.<\/p>\n

You’ll notice that nicht<\/em> does tend to jump about a bit, and there are a few more specific rules regarding this behavior.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Where to Place Nicht<\/em><\/th>Example<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Before an adjective or most adverbs*
\n
\n*After an adverb of time<\/td>		 Er kann heute nicht<\/strong> kommen. <\/a>\n <\/em>\u00a0
\n(He cannot<\/strong> come today.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Before a preposition<\/a><\/td> Wir interessieren uns nicht<\/strong> f\u00fcr Golf. <\/a>\n <\/em>
\n(We're not<\/strong> interested in golf.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Between a modal verb<\/a> and infinitive verb<\/td> Er kann nicht<\/strong> schwimmen. <\/a>\n <\/em>\u00a0
\n(He cannot<\/strong> swim.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Before a verb prefix in a separable verb<\/a><\/td> Wir rufen uns nicht<\/strong> an. <\/a>\n <\/em>
\n(We do not<\/strong> phone each other.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Don’t worry if this seems like a lot to remember! It’s good to be aware of the rules, but in reality you’ll quickly develop an intuitive sense for where to place nicht<\/em>, simply by listening<\/a>, practicing<\/a> and making mistakes. For example, you can use a program like FluentU<\/a> to tune your ears to the proper placement and usage of this word.<\/p>\n

FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n

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