edumaterial's parts within the level. The European framework does not subdivide them.
- 1Try
- 2Learn
- 3Practise
- 4Check
The rule, in three lines
Two words and one question: what am I negating? If it is a noun that would take ein or nothing, use kein, and decline it like ein — kein Auto, keine Zeit, keinen Hund. If it is a verb, an adjective, an adverb, or a noun with der/die/das or a possessive, use nicht.
The usual slip. Using nicht for everything, because your own language has one word for no. And the reverse mistake, «nicht ein», a literal rendering of «not a» that German does not use: that is kein.
Why it catches you out. English is the one language of the four that already makes this distinction, and it maps almost perfectly: «I have no time» is kein and «I do not come» is nicht. What is new is that kein is a single word and declines like ein.