German Negation: Nicht vs Kein
German negation nicht kein follows clear patterns: use nicht to negate verbs, adjectives, and adverbs, and use kein to negate nouns that have an indefinite article or no article. The word kein declines like ein (keinen, keine, kein, keine in plural).
German has two main negation words, and choosing between them depends on what you are negating. The word nicht negates actions, qualities, and descriptions—essentially verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. The word kein negates things—nouns that would otherwise have an indefinite article like ein or eine, or nouns that stand alone without any article.
The position of nicht matters. It typically appears at the end of the sentence, but moves directly before the specific word or phrase you want to negate. For separable verbs, nicht comes before the separated prefix. When negating the entire sentence, nicht goes at the end.
The word kein behaves like ein and changes its ending based on gender, case, and number. You will see keinen for masculine accusative, keine for feminine or plural forms, and kein for neuter. This declension follows the same pattern as the indefinite article.
When someone asks a negative question and you want to give a positive answer, use doch instead of ja. This small word confirms the opposite of what the negative question suggests.
- Nicht negates verbs, adjectives, and adverbs
- nicht verneint Verben, Adjektive und Adverbien
- Kein negates nouns with indefinite or no article
- kein verneint Nomen mit unbestimmtem Artikel oder ohne Artikel
- Kein declines like ein
- kein wird wie ein dekliniert: keinen, keine, kein, keine (Plural)
- Nicht usually goes at sentence end or before negated element
- Position: nicht steht meist am Satzende oder direkt vor dem verneinten Teil
- Doch gives positive answer to negative question
- Doch = positive Antwort auf eine negative Frage
Examples
Common mistakes
- Saying 'Ich habe nicht Auto' instead of 'Ich habe kein Auto' when negating a noun
- Using 'kein' with definite articles: 'Ich mag kein das Buch' instead of 'Ich mag das Buch nicht'
- Placing 'nicht' incorrectly: 'Ich nicht arbeite' instead of 'Ich arbeite nicht'
- Answering negative questions with 'ja' instead of 'doch' when confirming positively
FAQ
When do I use nicht instead of kein?
Use nicht when negating verbs, adjectives, adverbs, or nouns that already have a definite article. Use kein only for nouns that would have ein/eine or no article at all.
Why does kein change to keinen or keine?
The word kein declines exactly like the indefinite article ein. It changes based on the gender, case, and number of the noun it negates, so keinen is masculine accusative, keine is feminine or plural.
What is the difference between nein, nicht, and kein?
Nein means no as an answer to a question. Nicht negates verbs, adjectives, and adverbs within a sentence. Kein negates nouns and means not a or no when referring to things.