adverb
not
A1
'nicht' is the primary German negation adverb meaning 'not'. It negates verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and whole clauses. Use 'kein' to negate nouns without articles. Placement matters: usually before adjectives or at clause end; it follows auxiliaries. Not reflexive; no preposition. Important for German word order and emphasis for correct comprehension.
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.EXAMPLES
Der Arzt erklärte, dass der Patient nicht operiert werden musste, weil die Medikamente halfen.
The doctor explained that the patient did not have to be operated on because the medications helped.
Ich bin nicht müde.
I'm not tired.
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.DETAILS_LABEL
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.MNEMONICS
Imagine a big red STOP sign with the word 'nicht' across it
sounds like English 'nicked' — imagine something being 'not' allowed, nicked away
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.NOTES
Common German negation particle; placed after the verb or at the end of phrases to negate. Not to be confused with 'kein'.