German Negation: When to Use Kein vs. Nicht in Everyday Sentences
Learn the difference between kein and nicht in German. Use kein with indefinite or article-free nouns, and nicht for everything else, including definite nouns.
By TheaFirst conversations · Yapr Learn
In German, there are two main ways to say 'not': kein and nicht. Choosing the right one depends on what you are negating. Use kein before a noun that has no article or an indefinite article (ein/eine). Use nicht for all other negations, such as negating a verb, an adjective, an adverb, or a noun with a definite article (der/die/das) or a possessive (mein/dein). This lesson gives you clear patterns and examples so you can negate sentences correctly in the present and past tenses.
By the end, you can…
- use kein correctly with indefinite and article-free nouns.
- use nicht to negate verbs, adjectives, and definite nouns.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Ich habe kein Geld.
I have no money.
ikh HAH-buh kine GELT
kein before a neuter noun (Geld) with no article. In the accusative, kein remains kein.
Sie hat keine Zeit.
She has no time.
zee haht KYE-nuh TSITE
keine before a feminine noun (Zeit) with no article. Use keine for feminine and plural nouns.
Das ist nicht mein Buch.
That is not my book.
dahs ist nikht mine BOOKH
nicht negates the possessive article mein. Do not use kein here because the noun has a possessive article.
Ich arbeite nicht.
I am not working.
ikh AR-bai-tuh nikht
nicht negates the verb arbeiten. Use nicht for verbs.
Er kommt nicht mit.
He is not coming along.
air kohmt nikht MIT
nicht negates the separable verb mitkommen. In a main clause, nicht goes before the separable prefix: Er kommt nicht mit.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
Use kein (or its declined forms keine, keinen, keiner, keines, keinem) before a noun that has no article or an indefinite article. The form of kein matches the gender and case of the noun. Examples: Ich habe einen Hund. → Ich habe keinen Hund. (I have a dog. → I have no dog.) Sie hat eine Katze. → Sie hat keine Katze. (She has a cat. → She has no cat.) Wir haben Zeit. → Wir haben keine Zeit. (We have time. → We have no time.) In the past tense: Ich hatte kein Geld. (I had no money.) Er hatte keine Frage. (He had no question.)
When to use it
Use nicht for all other negations: to negate a verb (Ich schlafe nicht. – I am not sleeping.), an adjective (Das ist nicht gut. – That is not good.), an adverb (Er kommt nicht heute. – He is not coming today.), or a noun with a definite article or possessive (Das ist nicht das Buch. – That is not the book. Das ist nicht mein Buch. – That is not my book.). In the past tense: Ich war nicht müde. (I was not tired.) Wir haben nicht gearbeitet. (We did not work.) Note: nicht can also precede a noun when that noun phrase is the focus of contrastive negation, e.g., Nicht der Mann, sondern die Frau kommt. (Not the man, but the woman is coming.) This is less common but correct.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Hast du Zeit für einen Kaffee?
Do you have time for a coffee?hahst doo TSITE fewr EYE-nen KAH-fayNein, ich habe keine Zeit. Ich muss arbeiten.
No, I have no time. I have to work.nine, ikh HAH-buh KYE-nuh TSITE. ikh moos AR-bai-tuhnSchade. Und morgen? Hast du dann Zeit?
Too bad. And tomorrow? Do you have time then?SHAH-duh. oont MOR-gen? hahst doo dahn TSITEMorgen auch nicht. Aber am Wochenende habe ich Zeit.
Tomorrow not either. But on the weekend I have time.MOR-gen owkh nikht. AH-ber ahm VOKH-en-en-duh HAH-buh ikh TSITEA little context goes a long way
In German, using kein vs. nicht correctly is important for clarity. Standard German strongly prefers kein for negating nouns with indefinite articles or no article; 'Ich habe nicht ein Auto' sounds unusual, while 'Ich habe kein Auto' is standard. In casual speech, you might hear 'Ich hab kein Auto' with the final -e dropped from habe, but in writing, keep the full form.
One thing to watch for
Using nicht instead of kein with an indefinite noun: *Ich habe nicht ein Auto.
Try this instead: Use kein: Ich habe kein Auto. (I have no car.) Remember: kein replaces the indefinite article ein/eine. If you would say 'ein Auto', negate it with 'kein Auto'.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say 'I have no time' in German?
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Ich habe keine Zeit.
Zeit is feminine, so kein becomes keine. This is correct because the noun has no article. 'Ich habe nicht Zeit' would be wrong because nicht does not negate a noun directly in this way.
2Fill in the blank: Das ist ___ mein Buch. (That is not my book.)
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nicht
Use nicht because the noun has a possessive article (mein). 'Das ist kein mein Buch' is incorrect; kein cannot be used with a possessive.
3Translate: 'She is not coming.' (Use the verb kommen.)
Show a sample answer
Sie kommt nicht.
Use nicht to negate the verb. 'Sie kommt kein' is wrong because kein is only for nouns. In spoken German, you might also hear 'Sie kommt nicht mit' if the meaning is 'She is not coming along', but here the simple negation is 'Sie kommt nicht'.
Use kein before nouns with no article or an indefinite article; use nicht for everything else, including definite nouns and verbs. Practice with present and past tenses to master the difference.
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