A1 Beginner
Use kein for a noun that would have ein/eine or no article: Ich habe kein Auto. Use nicht for everything else: verbs, adjectives, names, and nouns with der/die/das. Kein has the same endings as ein (kein, keine, keinen).
kein + noun (instead of ein / no article) · nicht + verb, adjective, der/die/das + noun
Using nicht with a noun that has no article.
Ich habe nicht Zeit.
Ich habe keine Zeit.
Ich habe heute ______ Zeit.
nicht · keine · kein
keine — Zeit is a feminine noun without an article, so use keine.
Das Wetter ist heute ______ gut.
nicht · kein · keine
nicht — gut is an adjective, so use nicht.
Wir haben ______ Hund.
nicht · keine · keinen
keinen — Hund is masculine and the direct object (accusative): keinen.
Jana is looking for the perfect birthday present for her friend Mira. A red toaster seems like a great idea, until Mira opens her presents.
Akkusativ (accusative case) · Negation: nicht vs. kein · 6 new words
Zofia's phone falls into the bath. Now she has a whole week without messages, music or maps.
Negation: nicht vs. kein · Akkusativ (accusative case) · 6 new words
Julia's hotel room is tiny, the window is stuck and the water is cold. It is going to be a long night.
Modalverben (modal verbs) · Negation: nicht vs. kein · 6 new words
Monday morning, home office: Sara types her password, and the computer says it's wrong. Again and again.
Negation: nicht vs. kein · Verbzweitstellung (verb in position 2) · 7 new words
Paul is so tired that he falls asleep on the bus to work. When he opens his eyes, he is not where he should be.
Verbzweitstellung (verb in position 2) · Negation: nicht vs. kein · 6 new words
On Monday morning Leo can't find his key and is late for work. In the evening, his kitchen has a surprise for him.
Präsens (present tense) · Negation: nicht vs. kein · 7 new words
Mia wakes up, and it is already bright outside. Her alarm clock didn't ring, and now every minute counts.
Präsens (present tense) · Negation: nicht vs. kein · 6 new words
Papa is on a diet: no sugar, no bread, no beer. And the whole family has to join in, whether they like it or not.
Negation: nicht vs. kein · Modalverben (modal verbs) · 6 new words
Fiona needs a train ticket in Bremen, but the ticket machine won't cooperate. Help comes from a ten-year-old girl who has a problem of her own.
Modalverben (modal verbs) · Negation: nicht vs. kein · 6 new words
Every evening a grey cat sits at Anna and Max's door. They feed her and give her a name, but nobody really knows who she is.
Präsens (present tense) · Negation: nicht vs. kein · 6 new words
The kids' football team has a game on Sunday, but their goalkeeper is sick. Who will stand in goal?
Verbzweitstellung (verb in position 2) · Negation: nicht vs. kein · 6 new words
On a tired Monday morning, Jonas just wants a coffee and a piece of apple cake. But the café has other plans.
Akkusativ (accusative case) · Negation: nicht vs. kein · 6 new words
Yusuf is forty and finally wants to get fit. His first day at the gym does not go to plan, until he finds a door at the back.
Modalverben (modal verbs) · Negation: nicht vs. kein · 7 new words
Mrs Berger's class visits a very quiet museum with very strict rules. Then Tim feels a sneeze coming.
Modalverben (modal verbs) · Negation: nicht vs. kein · 6 new words
Every evening at eight, someone in the building plays the piano, always the same song. But nobody in the building has a piano.
Präsens (present tense) · Negation: nicht vs. kein · 7 new words
Every morning the sky is blue, and every afternoon Tom gets wet. On Wednesday, he has a plan.
Verbzweitstellung (verb in position 2) · Negation: nicht vs. kein · 6 new words