Negatives

Nicht denies specific parts of a sentence like verbs, adjectives, or entire clauses. It usually comes after what you want to affirm and before what you want to negate.

Kein negates nouns that would normally have an article, turning an affirmative into a denial of existence or possession. It matches gender, number, and case of the noun.

Nie means "never" and forbids an action at any time. It comes before the verb or at the very start for emphasis.

Niemand means "no one" and negates people. It can be replaced with phrases like kein Mensch for style. Use niemandem in dative and niemanden in accusative when needed.

Nichts means "nothing" and negates things, actions, or general existence. It pairs with tun, haben, or stands alone. Use nichts to deny an entire amount or idea.

Noch nicht means "not yet" and signals that something is expected to happen later. It softens the negative and often appears with time expressions.

Use nicht to negate actions or qualities, kein to deny nouns with articles, nie for absolute time negation, niemand to exclude people, nichts to deny things or actions, and noch nicht to show delay rather than final denial.