📌 In German, negation is usually done with two main words: "nicht" and "kein".

"Nicht" negates verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and parts of a sentence.
"Kein" negates nouns with no article or with an indefinite article (ein/eine).

Let's look at how to use them correctly! 🚀

1. When do you use "nicht"?

"Nicht" is used to negate:

Examples:

Examples:

Examples:

2. When do you use "kein"?

"Kein" is used to negate a noun:

Examples:

Case (Kasus)	Maskulin (masculine)	Feminin (feminine)	Neutrum (neuter)	Plural
Nominativ	kein Mann	keine Frau	kein Kind	keine Bücher
Akkusativ	keinen Mann	keine Frau	kein Kind	keine Bücher
Dativ	keinem Mann	keiner Frau	keinem Kind	keinen Büchern

Examples:

Criterion	Nicht	Kein
Used with	Verbs, adjectives, adverbs, part of a sentence	Nouns with no article or with "ein/eine"
Example	Ich bin nicht müde. I'm not tired.	Ich habe keinen Hunger. I'm not hungry.
Position	Before the part to be negated	Before the noun
Word type with it	Verbs, adjectives, adverbs	Nouns

📌 Quick memory tip:

ℹ️ 💡 "Nicht" is used to negate:

💡 "Nicht" is used to negate:

"Kein" is used to negate:

📌 Remember the declension table for "kein" to use it correctly!

ℹ️ Exercise

Practice exercise

Apply what you just learned about Negation (nicht and kein) with this exercise:

Practice using nicht and kein in the right position in a sentence.