A2 → Grammar · Lesson 18 of 22

German Negation Beyond Nicht and Kein

die Verneinung

Before this lesson: make sure you've covered Konjunktiv II: Polite Requests & Wishes first.

You know "nicht" and "kein" from A1. At A2, round out your negative vocabulary with nichts (nothing), niemand (no one), and nie (never) — and learn where "nicht" goes in a longer sentence.

Types you should know

nichts

nothing

niemand

no one

nie

never

nicht mehr

not anymore

noch nicht

not yet

Examples

German	English
Ich habe nichts gesehen.	I saw nothing.
Niemand war zu Hause.	No one was home.
Ich rauche nicht mehr.	I don't smoke anymore.
Ich bin noch nicht fertig.	I'm not finished yet.

Memory trick: "nicht" usually jumps to the end, UNLESS it directly negates one specific word — then it sits right before it: "Ich komme nicht heute" (not today) vs "Ich komme heute nicht" (just not coming, full stop).

⚠ Common mistake: Don't mix up "nicht mehr" (not anymore, something stopped) and "noch nicht" (not yet, hasn't started).

🎯 Quick check

Which means 'not yet'?

German Negation Beyond Nicht and Kein

Types you should know

Examples

🎯 Quick check

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