Negation · nicht oder kein?
German says “no” two ways, and one question decides which. Is it an indefinite noun? Use kein. Anything else? nicht. Pick what you're negating and watch the negator drop into place.
Is it an indefinite noun — ein or no article?
Ich habe kein Auto.
I don't have a car.
from Ich habe ein Auto. — I have a car.
Why: Auto is an indefinite ein-noun, so ein becomes kein. Auto is neuter in the Akkusativ → kein.
When it's kein
Once you know it's kein, give it the right ending — same pattern as ein and mein. The active example's cell lights up.
| m | f | n | pl | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | ||||
| Akkusativ | ||||
| Dativ | ||||
| Genitiv |
Where nicht goes
nicht has two homes: late for the whole clause, or right in front of one element.
Make it stick
Eighteen sentences to negate. Read the positive version, then pick the right negator — you'll get a kein-vs-nicht score at the end.
Positive“Ich habe ein Auto.”
Ich habe … Auto.
I don't have a car.