Study Hub

Study Guides

This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.

Back to Study HubBrowse Year 9 German Guides

Year 9 - German

What do you see? Negation: kein + indefinite article vs nicht + definite article

Everyday culture: present tense weak and strong verbs

Unit Summary

This unit revisits strong and weak verbs in all persons, as well as numbers, question formation, negation and adjective agreement. Vocabulary is revisited and extended as pupils describe event preparations, pictures and paintings.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to explain what you see or don't see, using 'kein' or 'nicht' appropriately to negate words or sentences.

Key Notes

  • 'Nicht' means 'not' and 'kein' means 'no, not a' with a noun.
  • 'Nicht' is used when the noun is preceded by the definite article, a possessive adjective, or before a proper noun.
  • 'Kein' is used if the noun is preceded by the indefinite article.
  • 'Kein' goes before the noun it negates.
  • 'Nicht' goes before the element it negates, or at the end of the phrase if it negates the whole phrase.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • kein: negative article 'no', 'not a, an, any' - negates nouns preceded by the indefinite article
  • indefinite article: 'a/an', e.g., 'ein', 'eine'
  • adjective agreement: when the ending of an adjective matches the noun it describes in gender, number and case

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • 'Nicht' is always used to make negative statements in German.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain what you can now say or understand in this lesson.

'Nicht' means 'not' and 'kein' means 'no, not a' with a noun. 'Nicht' is used when the noun is preceded by the definite article, a possessive adjective, or before a proper noun.

2. Define this key language word and use it in context. 'kein'

negative article 'no', 'not a, an, any' - negates nouns preceded by the indefinite article. Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.

3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.

Mistake: 'Nicht' is always used to make negative statements in German. Correction: There are two ways of making negative statements: 'nicht' and 'kein'. It is not always obvious when 'kein' should be used to translate negative English statements, e.g., 'I don't have a car' is 'ich habe kein Auto'.

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 9 German guide library.