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German Negation: Nicht vs. Kein Explained

die Verneinung

Before this lesson: make sure you've covered Questions first.

German has two negation words, and choosing the right one depends on what you're negating. Use kein to negate a noun (anywhere "ein" or no article would appear); use nicht for verbs, adjectives, or nouns that already have "der/die/das".

Examples

German	English
Ich habe kein Auto.	I do not have a car.
Das ist nicht mein Buch.	That is not my book.
Ich verstehe nicht.	I don't understand.

Memory trick: If the English sentence uses "a/an" or "any," German almost always wants "kein," not "nicht."

🎯 Quick check

How do you say "I do not have a car"?

German Negation: Nicht vs. Kein Explained

Examples

🎯 Quick check

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