A1Syntax

German Negation (nicht, kein)

German uses 'nicht' to negate verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. 'Kein' negates nouns and replaces 'ein/eine'.

Key Rules

  1. 1nicht = negates verbs, adjectives, adverbs
  2. 2kein/keine = negates nouns (replaces ein/eine)
  3. 3nicht usually goes before what it negates
  4. 4nicht goes at the end before infinitives or participles

Examples

Ich habe kein Geld.

I have no money.

'Kein' negates the noun 'Geld'.

Ich verstehe nicht.

I don't understand.

'Nicht' negates the verb and goes at the end.

Das ist nicht richtig.

That is not correct.

Related Grammar Topics

Word Order

German Word Order Basics
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Articles

German Articles (der, die, das)
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