Negatives · 2ce503cd8b2557d75d4d9df2ce9700ef
Saying No
We’ve seen that we can use nicht with adjectives to say things like Das ist nicht gut!, or with verbs, like Ich esse nicht!
However, if you want to talk about nouns, and say things like I’m not a girl or I do not speak German, be sure to use kein and not nicht.
Ich verstehe kein Deutsch.I do not understand German.
Literal: I understand no German.
Das ist keine Katze.That is not a cat.
Literal: That is no cat.
Notice that kein has the same endings as ein! A good rule of thumb to remember is: nicht + ein = kein!
Where does the time go?
Nie and niemals can both translate as never, but niemals can also mean at no time or never ever. These two words express time, and in German, time phrases go in the third position. Don't forget that the verb is in the second position!
| Sie trinkt Kaffee. She drinks coffee. |
Sie trinkt niemals Kaffee. She never ever drinks coffee. |
|---|---|
| Sie geht schwimmen. She goes swimming. |
Sie geht nie schwimmen. She never goes swimming. |
More ways to say no!
In addition to the word niemand, you can also say keiner to mean nobody!
Keiner spricht.Nobody speaks.
And be careful not to confuse word nicht with nichts!
Ich trage nichts.I wear nothing.