Negation Using Kein

Negation Using Kein

German has a special form for the negation of indefinite (unspecific) nouns, based on the indefinite article ein, eine, ein. The word kein is similar to the English adjectives "no, not one" or the combination "not any":

• I bought no books.
• I did not buy any books.
• Not one book did I buy!

It is a logical challenge to see the difference between using nicht to say that an action does not apply to a defined situation or is not real, and using kein which implies the nonexistence of the noun or group of nouns.

 

Let's look at the declension of kein.

Remember the declension of the indefinite article? Kein is declined in just the same way! It is an ein-word. If you want to negate the sentence:

• Es hat eine Gemüsesuppe gegeben.

you would have to use the negation kein- with the appropriate ending of ein.

• Es hat keine Gemüssesuppe gegeben.

But there are no plural forms for ein, eine, ein, and we need plural forms for kein, keine, kein. They are the same for all 3 genders. When you want to negate an indefinite plural

• Sie hat Werbefilme gemacht.

you get:

• Sie hat keine Werbefilme gemacht.

So - here is the declension in all genders and three cases, with the indefinite article for comparison: