negatie grammar in Dutch

Language: Dutch
Level: A1
Unit: Vragen en negatie
Practice types: 0

What this grammar point covers

Negation in Dutch is how you make sentences negative, saying that something is not true or does not happen.

When to use it

Use negation in Dutch to say 'not', 'no', or to deny something. 'Niet' is used for verbs, adjectives, adverbs, or the whole sentence. 'Geen' is used before a noun when you mean 'no' or 'not any'.

Key forms

"niet": used to negate verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and whole sentences.
"geen": used to negate nouns that do not have 'de' or 'het' (indefinite nouns).

Examples

Ik spreek niet Engels.

English: I do not speak English.

Het is niet warm vandaag.

English: It is not warm today.

Hij heeft geen auto.

English: He does not have a car.

Wij drinken geen koffie.

English: We do not drink coffee.

Zij is niet thuis.

English: She is not at home.

Tips

Place 'niet' usually at the end of the sentence, unless you want to negate a specific word (like an adjective or adverb).
'Geen' is only used with nouns without 'de' or 'het' (indefinite nouns). Do not use 'geen' with definite nouns.
Do not use 'niet' and 'geen' together in the same sentence.

Exceptions and edge cases

Sometimes 'niet' comes before a preposition or an adverb when you want to negate only that part.
With separable verbs, 'niet' comes after the separated part.