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Nicht vs Kein: Which German Negation to Use

German has two ways of saying not, and choosing between them is not a matter of style. Kein negates nouns. Nicht negates almost everything else. Getting this wrong is one of the most audible beginner errors, because it happens in short, common sentences.

The rule that decides it

Use kein when you are negating a noun that would otherwise take ein or no article at all. Ich habe ein Auto becomes Ich habe kein Auto. Ich trinke Kaffee becomes Ich trinke keinen Kaffee.

Use nicht for everything else: verbs (Ich arbeite nicht), adjectives (Das ist nicht teuer), adverbs (Nicht heute), and nouns that already carry a definite article or a possessive (Das ist nicht mein Auto).

A quick test: if the positive sentence has ein or nothing in front of the noun, use kein. If it has der/die/das or mein/dein, use nicht.

Where nicht goes in the sentence

Position is the second half of the problem. Nicht goes at the end of the clause when it negates the whole statement: Ich verstehe das nicht.

But it goes directly in front of the specific element it negates when it is targeting one thing: Ich fahre nicht nach Berlin (not to Berlin, somewhere else). It also stands before adjectives and before a separable prefix or an infinitive at the end: Ich kann heute nicht kommen.

The other negative words

Beyond nicht and kein, a small set of words carries negation on its own. nichts (nothing), niemand (nobody), nie or niemals (never), nirgendwo (nowhere).

These already contain the negation, so adding nicht as well is wrong: Ich habe nichts gesehen, not ich habe nichts nicht gesehen. English speakers rarely make this error, but speakers of languages that use double negation frequently do.

One useful combination is kein … mehr, meaning no more or not any longer: Ich habe keine Zeit mehr. Its counterpart is nicht mehr: Ich arbeite nicht mehr dort.

Examples

• Er hat keine Geschwister.He has no siblings.
• Ich verstehe diesen Satz nicht.I do not understand this sentence.

Mistakes to avoid

Almost every error is using nicht where the sentence negates a noun, or putting nicht in the English position — early in the sentence — rather than the German one.

• ✗ Ich habe nicht ein Auto.✓ Ich habe kein Auto.
• ✗ Das ist kein mein Buch.✓ Das ist nicht mein Buch.

How this is tested in the exam

Negation is unavoidable in Sprechen, where you are asked to decline, disagree or say what you do not do, and in Schreiben, where a short message often has to explain why you cannot do something. In Lesen and Hören a single nicht reverses the meaning of a statement, and true/false items are frequently built on exactly that.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between nicht and kein?

Kein negates nouns that would otherwise have ein or no article. Nicht negates verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and nouns that already have a definite article or a possessive.

Where does nicht go in a German sentence?

At the end of the clause when it negates the whole statement, and directly before the element it negates when it targets one part. It also stands before an adjective or before an infinitive at the end.

Can I use kein with a definite article?

No. If the noun has der, die, das or a possessive such as mein, the negation is nicht: Das ist nicht mein Auto.

Does kein change its endings?

Yes, exactly like ein: kein Mann, keine Frau, kein Kind, keinen Bruder. Unlike ein it also has a plural form, keine.