This introduction covers nicht und kein — Two Ways to Say No within Negation (nicht, kein) and possessives (mein, dein, sein) for GCSE German. Revise Negation (nicht, kein) and possessives (mein, dein, sein) in Core Grammar Toolkit for GCSE German with 10 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. This topic shows up very often in GCSE exams, so students should be able to explain it clearly, not just recognise the term. It is section 1 of 5 in this topic. Use this introduction to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
🚫 nicht und kein — Two Ways to Say No
German has two main ways to make something negative. nicht negates a verb, an adjective or a whole sentence; kein negates a noun (it replaces ein). Add the possessives — mein, dein, sein and the rest — and you can say exactly whose things are whose. Getting these right shows the examiner you can do more than string single words together.
Practice questions for Negation (nicht, kein) and possessives (mein, dein, sein)
Which sentence correctly negates 'Ich spiele Gitarre' (I play the guitar)?
Which word correctly completes: 'Ich habe ___ Zeit.' (I have no time.)?
Quick recall flashcards
der Vater, die Väter
the father, the fathers (masculine). The plural takes an umlaut: 'die Väter'. Accusative: 'Ich sehe meinen Vater.' -- masculine takes -en.
der Bruder, die Brüder
the brother, the brothers (masculine). Accusative: 'Ich habe keinen Bruder.' / 'Ich sehe meinen Bruder.' Masculine takes -en in the accusative.