Nicht oder kein?
English has one word for "not." German has two, and choosing correctly between them is one of the clearest beginner/intermediate tells. The good news: the choice follows a simple, mechanical rule tied directly to what you already learned about articles in Lessons 4 and 7.
Use kein exactly where you'd otherwise use ein/eine - or no article at all. It takes the same endings as ein, including the masculine accusative change from Lesson 7:
Ich habe keinen Bruder. (masculine, accusative → keinen)
Ich habe keine Schwester. (feminine → keine)
Ich habe kein Auto. (neuter → kein)
Full table: Reference - Negation.
Use nicht to negate a verb, an adjective, or a noun that already has der/die/das or a name attached:
Ich komme nicht. (negating "come")
Das ist nicht teuer. (negating "expensive")
| Would the noun take ein/eine or nothing? | → kein/keine |
| Anything else - verb, adjective, definite noun | → nicht |
1. "I have no car." (das Auto) - Ich habe ______ Auto.
2. "That is not expensive." - Das ist ______ teuer.
3. "I have no sister." (die Schwester) - Ich habe ______ Schwester.
4. "I am not coming." - Ich komme ______.
5. "I have no brother." (der Bruder, accusative) - Ich habe ______ Bruder.
Cross-checked against the Goethe-Institut A1 practice materials.
Unsure whether a specific sentence needs nicht or kein? Ask your teaching agent to check it.