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June 10, 2022

The word “no” in German is nein.

Almost anybody familiar with pop culture depictions of Germany has seen somebody angry shouting “Nein!” in a movie, TV show or even commercial.

So you might think you know enough about how to say “no” in German.

Just imagine, though, what it would be like if somebody literally only used the word “no” without any other softeners or explanations.

It’d be extremely rude! “Can I help you?” “No.” “Would you like something to eat?” “No.”

Different cultures have different unwritten rules about saying “no” to things. As a result, someone from the United States, for instance, might think that Germans are a little bit rude when they say “no.”

They’re not being rude, though. It’s just a little bit of cultural difference!

Read on to learn all about how to say “no” in German like a native speaker would.

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How to Say “No” in German, from “Nah” to “Absolutely Not!”

Saying “No” in German Politely

In German, the way to say “no” politely involves an explanation of the negation, instead of simply saying the word “no” alone. This is true in English as well, which is why it may sound like common sense.

For example, imagine that somebody goes into a hotel and asks to use the restroom, but they’re not a guest and so they’re refused.

That refusal is likely to take the form of something like this: a polite, formal statement with an explanation of why.

Leider sind die Toiletten nur für Gäste dieses Hotels. (Unfortunately, the toilets are only for guests of this hotel.)

They’re also very likely to include one of these phrases: Entschuldigung (excuse me) or Tut mir Leid (I’m sorry).

Es tut mir wirklich Leid, aber wir können mit dir nicht kommen. (I’m truly sorry, but we can’t come with you.)

One of the more subtle things that most people just end up picking up naturally is a kind of repetition of the verb in a lot of negative answers. It’s easier to show than explain:

“Spielt ihr Gitarre?” (“Do you play guitar?”)
“Nein, Gitarre spielen wir nicht.” (“No, we don’t play guitar.”)

“Haben Sie einen Pepsi?” (“Do you have Pepsi?”)
“Nein, Pepsi nicht. Vielleicht wollen Sie einen Coca-Cola?” (“No, no Pepsi. Perhaps you’d like a Coca-Cola?”)

This definitely isn’t a prescribed way to give a “no” answer in German. Instead, it’s sort of a typical negative response to a question.

The word lieber is a good alternative to a direct no, as it means “rather.” It can come after nicht or stand by itself.

Ich gehe lieber nicht in die Kneipe. (I’d rather not go to the bar.)

“Möchtest du ‘Moana’ sehen?” (“Would you like to see ‘Moana’?”)
“Ich würde lieber ‘Frozen’ sehen.” (“I’d prefer to see ‘Frozen.’”)

This happens to be a perfect example of something that might come across as a little too direct and rude in English, but is totally acceptable in German.

Whether or not you’re from a culture where the politeness scale is calibrated like it is in German, picking up on the ways that language affects politeness can be a daunting task.

The single best way to do this is to watch Germans and learn from them. After all, the more authentic German media you consume, the better handle you’ll get on the cultural aspect of saying “no” in German.

The Simple and Straightforward Way to Say “No” in German

As we’ve mentioned, the way to say “no” in German is simply to say nein.

It’s an easy little German word but if you say it with no other context, it’s a little rude.

That’s why there are three very commonly-used alternatives, slight twists on the actual word nein to soften the blow.

The first is nee, which should rhyme with Schnee (snow). You’ll hear this one quite frequently—in fact, it appears at all levels of German society. It’s considered dialectal, and in some places such as Bavaria, it’s the default instead of nein.

“Hast du den Spiel gesehen?” (“Did you see the game?”)
“Nee.” (“Nah.”)

The second is nö, which is used a little less frequently in ordinary speech. Interestingly enough, you’ll often see it in comics and books, probably as a way to break up the dialogue instead of always having everything be nein. Some people have the sense that nö is a bit harsher than nee, offering perhaps a more disparaging feel:

“Willst du mit mir Kaffee trinken?” (“Do you want to have coffee with me?”)
“Nö.” (“No […and why would you think otherwise?]”).

The last is nich, a contraction of nicht (not), This is strongly associated with Berlin, where the typical accent shifts the ich into more of an isch sound.

“Hast du Hunger?” (“Are you hungry?”)
“Nich.” (“Naw.”)

We have one more little word you can use to say “no” in German: jein, a cute combination of ja (yes) and nein. It’s only “cute” until someone uses it to deny you some information you actually want.

“Warst du gestern Abend wieder bei Heather?” (“Were you at Heather’s place again last night?”)
“Jein…” (“Maaaybe…”)

Strong Words for Strong Situations

We’ve seen easy and standard ways to say “no” but sometimes, there’s a time and place for saying something with a little more force behind it. First, a couple of phrases that are pretty much interchangeable:

Auf gar keinen Fall. (Under no circumstance.)

Here, the word gar is an optional intensifying particle. You’re literally saying “In absolutely no case.”

Überhaupt nicht. (Definitely not.)

Absolut nicht. (Absolutely not.)

Just as polite German softens the blow by saying why something gets a negatory answer, you can take away that level of politeness by either not giving an explanation or by giving a bad one.

Das ist hier nicht erlaubt. (That’s not allowed here.)

Nein. Ich will nicht. (No. I don’t want to.)

Auf keinen Fall. Ich werde beschäftigt sein. (Absolutely not. I’ll be busy.)

You may also be familiar with the word verboten, meaning “forbidden.” It certainly has a sense of strictness!

Im Park ist Rauchen verboten. (Smoking is forbidden in the park.)

This particular word often appears on signs in big red letters. In speech, it frequently comes with the word absolut, meaning “absolutely.”

Das Kaugummikauen ist in meinem Auto absolut verboten. (Chewing gum is absolutely forbidden in my car.)

“No, but Actually Yes”

There could be an entirely separate article about different ways to say “yes,” but for now we’ll just mention one that goes hand-in-hand with “no”: doch. Basically, it’s a reply of “yes” right after the “no” has either been said or assumed.

Confirming that something is true once an answer has been given to the contrary is a distinction that English simply doesn’t make. We say yes, and that’s that.

Confused? You can think of it as the rough equivalent of “actually, yes!” or “in fact, yes!”

Have a look at these examples:

“Sie haben keine Geschwister.” (“You have no siblings.”)
“Doch!” (“Yes I do!”)

Ich hab’ keine Münzen… achso, habe ich doch. (I don’t have any coins… ah, in fact, I do.)

After that, all it takes is time. You’ll pick up on these nuances before you know it, and be expressing negation like a native German speaker!

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Are you a people-pleaser? Someone who goes out of their way to make others happy and can’t say no to anyone?

Of course, learning a language is all about developing new skills, embracing new experiences, and accepting challenges…so you’ll probably be saying yes quite a lot. Yet, you still need to know how to say no if you want to master the German language!

In this article, we’ll look at negation in German. You’ll learn how to make negative sentences, how to answer a yes-or-no question correctly, and how to politely decline an offer or invitation…without making anyone upset.

Sure, saying no isn’t easy for some of us. But I assure you it will be (at least from a language-learning point of view!), after you’ve read this.

Let’s waste no more time then, and look at how to form negatives in German!

Table of Contents

Negative Sentences
How to Answer with a No
Other Useful Negative Expressions
How Our Website Can Help

1. Negative Sentences

A negative sentence is one stating that something is false. In English, for example, we create these by adding the word “not” after a helping verb (do, have, be, etc.).

Dave is not happy.
We did not go to work today.

There are three main German negation words. The first one, as you might have guessed, is nein, which means “no.” To construct a negative sentence, however, we use two different words: nicht (not) and kein (not a / not… any / no).

Let’s have a look at how to negate sentences in German using these words.

A- When to Use Nicht

In German negation, nicht is used to negate verbs, nouns (including proper nouns like Maria, John, etc.), adjectives (including possessive adjectives), and adverbs.

Have a look at the examples below:

With a VERB:
Wir warten nicht.
We are not waiting.

With a NOUN that has a definite article (der, die, or das – “the”):
Ich kenne diesen Film nicht.
I don’t know this movie.

With a PROPER NOUN:
Sie heißt nicht Mikaela.
Her name’s not Mikaela.

With an ADJECTIVE:
Ich bin nicht fertig.
I am not ready.

With a POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVE:
Das ist nicht meine Tasche.
That’s not my bag.

With an ADVERB:
Er spielt nicht gut Fußball.
He does not play football well.

B- Where to Put Nicht

As you’ve probably noticed, nicht does not always appear in the same place within a sentence. There are a couple of things to remember when using it, so as to make sure you place it correctly in relation to other elements.

In a simple sentence, nicht goes at the end, after the verb.

Wir warten nicht.
We are not waiting.

However, we rarely speak like that in everyday life, so let’s see how the behavior of nicht changes according to what you’re negating.

Get out of the bathroom, we are not waiting any longer.

It usually goes before an adjective or adverb, unless we’re talking about an adverb of time (e.g. später [later], früher [earlier], gestern [yesterday], morgen [tomorrow]), in which case nicht comes after the adverb.

Das Essen schmeckt nicht gut.
The food doesn’t taste good.

Sie kann heute nicht kommen.
She can’t come today.

We place nicht before prepositions:

Er kommt nicht aus Bamberg.
He does not come from Bamberg.

C- When to Use Kein

Sometimes, you’ll have to use kein (instead of nicht) to form a negative sentence. Remember, kein can be translated as “not a…”, “not… any” or “no.”

Kein has to agree with the noun it describes, and it functions in the same way as the forms of the indefinite article ein.

We use kein in two ways, always with nouns. You can use it to negate a noun that has an indefinite article, or to negate a noun that has no article:

Ich habe keine Geschwister.
I have no siblings.

Sie haben keine Hausaufgaben.
They don’t have any homework. (Literally: They have no homework.)

2. How to Answer with a No

There are two types of questions: open-ended and close-ended. A close-ended question (Entscheidungsfragen in German) is usually one you can answer with a “yes” or a “no,” without having to give any other explanation.

In English, we usually say: “Yes, I do.” / “No, I don’t.”

In German, you could just say ja (yes) or nein (no), but you can also learn some more expressions to make your speech sound more natural. It’s common, for example, to give an explanation of why you’re saying no. This is also true in English, of course, and it’s more a matter of common sense than one of grammar or language rules!

To go with your negative responses, you could learn expressions like:

Tut mir Leid. (I am sorry.)
Leider (unfortunately / regrettably)

Another fun German way of saying “no” is the colloquial word nee, which is widely used at all levels of society. It’s a nice way of saying nein (which would sound quite rude on its own), without having to give any explanations!

Hast du Hunger? (Are you hungry?)
Nee. (Nah.)

A second alternative to the formal nein is the colloquial word nö. This would not sound rude to a German speaker, and it’s considered a friendly way to say “no.”

Triffst du dich heute mit Johannes? (Are you meeting Johannes today?)
Nö. (Nope.)

A: Are you hungry? / B: Absolutely not.

On the other hand, you can use the following phrases to say “Absolutely not!”

Auf gar keinen Fall.
Under no circumstance.
Überhaupt nicht.
Definitely not.
Absolut nicht.
Absolutely not.

Doch in German

Actually, there’s another way of answering close-ended questions in German that we haven’t mentioned yet: Doch.

While studying the language, you might have noticed that doch and ja both mean “yes” in German…but they’re used in different ways. As you know, ja is the usual word for “yes” and is the opposite of “no” (nein).

Kommst du mit? (Are you coming?)
Ja. (Yes.)

When do we use doch, then? Doch is used when answering a negative question with a yes, or to contradict a negative statement:

Kommst du nicht mit? (Aren’t you coming?)
Doch! (Yes [on the contrary], I am!)

Du bist nicht intelligent. (You aren’t intelligent.)
Doch. (Yes [on the contrary], I am.)

The game is on. Aren’t you coming?

Doch can also be used with a similar meaning as the English word “indeed,” to stress a contrast or a certainty.

Hast du das gemacht? (Did you do it?)
Ich habe es doch gemacht. (Indeed, I did do it.)

3. Other Useful Negative Expressions

If you want to sound like a native, have a look at some of the most common expressions used in negative sentences.

Did you know, for example, that there are two ways of saying “never”? They are nie and niemals. These two words are interchangeable, but nie is more commonly used. If you use these words, you won’t need to use nicht or kein.

I don’t understand anything.

Some other words that you’ll find useful in negative sentences are:

A- Noch nicht
This means “not yet” and can also be used for more emphasis:

Ich bin noch nicht fertig.
I’m not finished yet.

B- Nichts
This means “nothing” or “not anything”:

Ich verstehe nichts.
I don’t understand anything. (Literally: I understand nothing.)

Niemand and Nirgendwo
These respectively mean “no one” and “nowhere.” Niemand needs to change according to the case, while nirgendwo always stays the same.

Niemand hat mir geholfen.
No one helped me.

Ich kann das Auto nirgendwo sehen.
I can’t see the car anywhere.

C- Weder…noch
This means “neither…nor” and it works the same way as in English:

Er spricht weder Englisch noch Deutsch.
He speaks neither English nor German.

Again, unlike in some other languages (like Italian), in German we do not do “double negation.” So if you use these words, you will not need to repeat the words nicht or kein.

Here are the positive/negative pairs of the words we’ve just seen. Knowing how to recognize and use them correctly will be a big step in your language-learning journey.

etwas / alles—nichts (something/everything—nothing)
jemand—niemand (somebody/anybody—nobody)
irgendwo—nirgendwo / nirgends (somewhere—nowhere)
immer / oft / manchmal—nie / niemals (always / often / sometimes—never)
mit—ohne (with—without)

4. How Our Website Can Help

If you want to learn more German vocabulary and grammar, make sure you check out GermanPod101.com. Here, you’ll find all the content you need to make your language learning journey as interesting and as pleasant as possible.

Practice your listening skills with podcasts and audio lessons, build your vocabulary with word lists and key phrases, and learn useful strategies for learning German more efficiently.

If you want to learn German in order to travel in Germany and other European countries, don’t miss our travel Survival Course. Knowing the language will help you be safe during your trip abroad, and being able to communicate with the locals in their native tongue will make your adventures even more unforgettable…

I hope that you’ll be able to say YES! to all their invitations and offers…but, well, at least now you know how to say “no” properly without sounding rude!

And, if you’re studying German for work or study, make the commitment and start using our member-only features to gain access to the best available German content. The resources available will make learning German feel like a walk in the park, and you’ll be able to reach your language-learning goals in no time at all!

Before you go, we would love to hear from you. How did this article help you? Is there anything about negation in German you’re still unsure about? We’ll do our best to help!

Источник

Hello everyone,

and welcome to our German Word of the Day. This time, we’ll have a look at the meaning of

die Not

And no, Not is not not.
Not is the German brother of English the need. But it’s much, much stronger. Like… if you’re in need, well, you just need something and that can be more or less urgent. But if you’re in Not you basically need rescuing…. and no… Not is not an awkward conversation with that colleague who’s trying to hit on you. It’s real distress.

Not by itself usually means a dire situation, often used in contexts where people lack the basic needs like food and clean water.

In vielen Flüchtlingslagern im Nahen Osten herrscht große Not.
Lit.: “In many refugee camps in the Middle East penury/hardship/destitution reigns.”
The situation/living conditions in many refugee camps in the Middle East is/are dire.
Practice pronunciation – click once to start recording and again to stop

VW in Not: neuer Manipulationsverdacht. Ist es überhaupt nicht das Auto?
VW in distress: new suspected manipulations. Is it not Das Auto after all?
Practice pronunciation – click once to start recording and again to stop

I guess because life was rather hard for the majority of the people a few centuries ago, it’s no wonder that there are plenty of phrasings and expressions with Not that are all pretty common today.

I was so drunk last night I just barely made it home (lit.: with painful effort)
Ich war gestern so betrunken, ich hab es nur mit Müh und Not nach Hause geschafft.
Practice pronunciation – click once to start recording and again to stop

Zur Not kann ich dir den Schlüssel auch nachher vorbeibringen.
In(at) a pinch/”if it’s an emergency”/if nothing else works out, I could bring the key by later.
(“in/at a pinch” … the dictionary suggested this but is that actually something people say in daily life?)
Practice pronunciation – click once to start recording and again to stop

Wenn der Beamer nicht geht, dann ist Holland in Not.
If the video projector isn’t working, things go awry.
(probably based on a mocking of Dutch people, who were in constant danger of flooding a few centuries ago)
Practice pronunciation – click once to start recording and again to stop

Not macht erfinderisch.
Necessity is the mother of invention.
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In der Not frisst der Teufel Fliegen.
Lit.: When in dire need, the devil eats flies.
Beggars can’t be choosers.
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Der U-Bahn-Streik nervt? Machen Sie aus der Not eine Tugend und fahren Sie Rad – mit den neuen City Bikes von Rad-Iator.
The metro strike gets on your nerves? Make a virtue out of necessity and go by bike – with the new city bikes from Rad-Iator.
Practice pronunciation – click once to start recording and again to stop

And there are many more. But not as many as there are compounds with Not, and in compounds Not is THE word for emergency.

Im Notfall Notbremse ziehen und Notruf wählen.
In case of emergency pull the emergeny brake and call 911 (“emergency hotline”).
(110 in Germany)
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Ehrlichkeit ist wichtig aber eine kleine Notlüge hier und da muss erlaubt sein.
Honesty is important but a white lie/ emergency lie here and there has to be okay.
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Das mit dem Klebeband ist aber nur eine Notlösung, ja?
The thing with the duct tape is just a band-aid/emergency solution though, isn’t it?
Practice pronunciation – click once to start recording and again to stop

So… we’ve seen that the translation varies but I think we can see the core idea of ‘strong need’ in all of them.
Now, of course there are quite a few related words and those are super usef… oh, hold on, I see we have a call here… Christie from Scotland, welcome to the show.
“Hi Emanuel. Thanks for taking my call. “
Sure thing, what can I do for you?
“I have a question about a compound with Not I saw in a newspaper today.”
Which one?
“Notdurft… the complete headline was ‘Frau nutzt Einkaufskorb für ihre Notdurft’ and if I understood the article correctly, a drunk woman took a shit into her shopping basket at Aldi….”
Hahaha… that’s accurate. It does mean that. It can refer to the action of pooing as well as the result.
“Well… I can see the connection to urgent need I guess but I’m wondering about the -durft? Does that have anything to dürfen?”
Great question! And yes, it does. Today, dürfen is about permission but back a few hundred years ago it was the verb for to need. And not only in German. Old English had ðearf which meant need, necessity but it actually also had niedðearf, which also was about need, necessity... just a stronger version. But need pushed ðearf out completely.
“Wait… how did dürfen end up with the whole permission idea in German then? I don’t really see a connection there.”
Yeah, it’s not so obvious. The permission thing crept in through negative statements first. Like… imagine a mom at the supermarket telling her kid “No, you don’t need that candy bar.” with a very resolute voice. She clearly tries to deny permission without actually saying it. That’s how the idea came in … as a euphemistic way to deny permission. And then it caught on and the old meaning was eventually forgotten.
“Ah I see… so and Notdurft has kept the old meaning of need.”
Exactly… but it narrowed down to the need to pee and poo.
“Cool… and what about notdürftig? I think I saw that in the same article… does that mean shitty?”
Haha, no… notdürftig is about strong necessity on a more general level. Originally, notdürftig meant needy, but today it has shifted toward needy of improvement. It’s kind of about the fact that something is an emergency fix….

Ich habe das notdürftig repariert.
I patched that up for now.
Practice pronunciation – click once to start recording and again to stop

Die Stadt hat die Flüchtlinge notdürftig in einer Turnhalle untergebracht.
The town provisionally sheltered the refugees in a school gym.
Practice pronunciation – click once to start recording and again to stop

so actually it kind of does mean shitty but it doesn’t sound negative because it’s used for quick fixes.
“Cool, thanks so much for answering my questions.”
Oh, thank YOU for bringing up Notdurft and notdürftig. I would have forgotten that completely. Thanks, and stay tuned for the other related words now.
“I will, byeeee.”

nötig, notwendig and an unnecessary verb

Not itself is a good word to know but as usual it’s the related words that REALLY make it useful. Mainly the two words notwendig and nötig.
Wenden is one of the three dozen German words for to turn so taken literally, notwendig means something like “turning the dire situation around”. Like… something that’s notwendig is basically what is needed, necessary. And it is much less serious or strong sounding than Not so you can also see it in

Das neue Buch von Stephanie Meyer, jetzt noch besser – kein Lesen mehr notwendig.
The new book by Stephanie Meyer, now even better – no more reading required/necessary.
Practice pronunciation – click once to start recording and again to stop

Teure Produkte sind nicht notwendigerweise besser als preiswertere Alternativen.
Expensive products are not necessarily better than more affordable alternatives.
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Thomas sieht keine Notwendigkeit für eine Badreinigung. (sounds technical)
Thomas sees no necessity for a bathroom cleaning.
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Nötig is essentially the same, but it sounds a tad bit less technical and the situations where you’d use it are a bit different.

Obwohl Maria versucht hat, nur das allernötigste einzupacken, ist ihr Handgepäck wieder zu schwer geworden.
Although Maria tried to only pack the absolute basic necessities her carry on wound up too heavy again.
Practice pronunciation – click once to start recording and again to stop

Thomas’ Credo lautet: So wenig wie möglich aber so viel wie nötig.
Thomas’s creed goes like this: as little as possible but as much as necessary.
Practice pronunciation – click once to start recording and again to stop

Mama, ich muss mal ganz nötig.
Mooom, I have to pee really bad (urgently).
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Der Film hatte unnötig lange Action-Szenen.
The movie had action scenes that were overly/unnecessarily long.
Practice pronunciation – click once to start recording and again to stop

Technically, you could use notwendig in the first two, but in the second two, (un)nötig is the only option.

Now, the cool thing about nötig are the common expressions that it’s used for.

“Hi, wir haben einen Kasten Bier mitgebracht.”
“Ohhhh… das wäre doch nicht nötig gewesen.”
“Hi, we brought a case of beer with us.”
“Ohhh… you shouldn’t have/there was no need for that.
Practice pronunciation – click once to start recording and again to stop

This one is a very common way of showing genuine appreciation for a little surprise or gift or favor. It might sound a tiny bit too formal for close friends but especially when you’re over 40 it’s totally something you can use.
Next up there’s the phrasing etwas nicht nötig haben. Literally it means that you don’t need something but the actual meaning is more about you thinking you’re above something, you’re too good for it. Depending on context it can sound stuck up or self empowered but it definitely always sounds confrontational

Ich hab’s nicht nötig, mich so unfreundlich behandeln zu lassen.
I don’t need to put up with/accept this kind of unfriendly treatment.
Practice pronunciation – click once to start recording and again to stop

Die Kellnerin denkt, sie hat es nicht nötig, freundlich zu sein.
The waitress thinks she’s better than someone who has to smile.
Practice pronunciation – click once to start recording and again to stop

There are a LOT of these waitresses and waiters in Berlin, trust me.
All right.
Now, we’re almost done for today but a real word of the day article needs at least one verb. For Not it’s benötigen. Using the standard core of the be-prefix we can think of it as “to inflict needing on something” which is a pretty good match because benötigen is essentially a formal, technical sounding alternative to brauchen.

Der Computer benötigt 80% seiner Hardware-Power nur damit Windows 10 funktioniert.
The computer needs 80% of its hardware resources just so Windows 10 works.
Practice pronunciation – click once to start recording and again to stop

Ein erwachsener Mensch benötigt im Durchschnitt 2000 kcal pro Tag.
An adult needs around 2000 Calories per day.
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Bitte senden Sie uns die von uns benötigten Unterlagen binnen 2 Wochen zu.
Please send us the required documents within a fortnight.
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What’s important to note is that benötigen DOES NOT work for activities. So you can’t say

Ich benötige zu schlafen…. QUITE WRONG

You can only benötigen things, and so I don’t think you benötigen benötigen and you can put it on the passive pile. But Not and nötig are really good to know and I’m sure you’ll see them quite a lot.

And I think that’s it. This was our look at the meaning of die Not. It’s related to the need but it’s pretty much never a translation for it because Not is much stronger. The relation totally shows with the adjectives notwendig and nötig which mean required, needed, necessari(ly).
I’ve added some more Not-compounds to the vocab list so check that out if you need to collect words. And as usual, if you have any questions or suggestions or if there are some more cool idiomatic expressions with Not you want to mention, just leave me a comment.
I hope you liked it and see you next time.

** vocab **

die Not – poverty, destitution, misery, distress
die Notbremse – the emergency break
der Notausgang – the emergency exit
die Seenot – distress at sea
die Notlüge – white lie, emergency lie
die Notlösung – the band-aid, the temporary solution-
die Notaufnahme – the emergency room
der Notfall – the (case of) emergency
die Notwehr – the emergency self defense (act of violence under threat)

im Notfall – in the case of emergency (formal)
zur Not – if it’s really urgent/if it’s an emergency (colloquial, common)

nötig – necessary, urgent
notwendig – necessary (technical, formal)
die Notwendigkeit – the necessity (technical)
unnötig – unnecessary
etwas nicht nötig haben – be better than having to do something (can be positive and negative)

benötigen – need, require (more formal and technical than brauchen)

die Nötigung – coersion, necessitation (legal term)

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«nicht» is the German word for «not».

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Q: How do you say the word ‘not’ in German?

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German Words

German is the most widely spoken language of the EU, right after English. This is understandable when you consider that German is the official language of many European nations—including Germany, Austria, Belgium, plus parts of Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Poland, and Switzerland. Worldwide, there are nearly 229 million German speakers, making it among the most useful languages for both travel and business.

Whether it’s for vacation, business, or curiosity, you can hit the ground running in the German language by familiarizing yourself with some of these basic German words and phrases.

Guten Tag = Good day
Hallo = Hello
Auf Wiedersehen = Goodbye
Bitte = Please
Danke = Thanks, Thank you
Entschuldigung = Sorry
Gesundheit = Bless you (after someone sneezes)
Ja = Yes
Nein = No
Wer? = Who?
Was? = What?
Warum? = Why?
Woher? = Where?

Now that we’ve got a handle on a few basic German words , we can dive into the conversational phrases that’ll help you ease into real-world conversations.

Ich heiße Ben = My name is Ben
Wie heißt du? = What’s your name?
Wie geht es dir? = How are you?
Gut, danke = Fine, thank you
Nett, Sie kennen zu lernen = Nice to meet you
Wo ist die Toilette? = Where is the bathroom?
Was kostet das? = How much is this?
Sprechen Sie Englisch? = Do you speak English?
Wie komme ich zum Busbahnhof? = How can I get to the bus station?
Gibt es ein Restaurant in der Nähe? = Is there a restaurant nearby?
Kann ich zahlen, bitte? = Can I have the bill, please?
Wie viel Uhr ist es? = What time is it?
Ich habe mich verlaufen = I am lost
Ich verstehe nicht = I do not understand
Ich vermisse dich = I miss you
Ich liebe dich = I love you

Learn the language in an order that’s tried-and-tested to ensure better understanding of how to communicate effectively in German with Rosetta Stone . Engage with German at your own pace, and start speaking German from the very first lesson.

With Rosetta Stone’s immersive approach, you’ll learn the language, not just the words. What makes Rosetta Stone unique is that we prepare you to use your new language in the real world. So it’s not just about the features, but what you’re able to do because of them. That way, you’ll be ready to handle any situation and sound great doing it.

At Rosetta Stone, we believe every person can learn to read, write, and speak German with confidence. Learning German words is much like learning vocabulary in any other language: practice makes perfect.

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Rosetta Stone

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The official German A1 vocabulary includes, according to the German Goethe Institut, 650 words – that’s the bad news. Wow, that’s a lot, you may think. The good news is: You’re already on the way, and we’re am here to help you.

Now, you may assume that you will be fluent in German if you learn all the words on this list. But if this is your question, then our answer to this would be:

“Hold the horses, my friend, slow down. One step after the other, we’ll get there.”

To begin with, memorizing 650 words by heart would be extremely repetitive, boring, and ineffective. To put it another way, you’ll forget them more quickly than you’ll learn them. Your brain needs to create connections (bridges) to those words first, and simply repeating the word-translation pair will not assist you in retrieving these words when you need them.

Learning in-depth and building upon know-how is much more enjoyable and efficient. Here’s what we’re here for.

We want to give you a few tips on how to deal with your A1 vocabulary list in the most effective way that would be beneficial for the actual use. One way to approach this is to go online and look for the most commonly used words. There are lists for all different levels, so you can always find something that suits you. For example, feel free to look for “The 500 Most Frequently Used German Words” and learn a few of those each day or each week.

Learn German with stories by Readle

How To Learn German A1 Vocabulary Most Effectively:

When you come across a word you’ve seen before, you won’t be able to memorize it if you look up the translation right away. The chances of learning this word are much higher if you try to remember what the word means before checking the translation.
On the other hand, when you encounter a new term, look up its meaning (or different meanings), usage information, and sample sentences apart from the translation – this will help you build a bridge to that word.
Pick a word you have a hard time memorizing and then put it in every learning session you have. Flashcards are a really great tool for that purpose. By repeating new words, we put them into our long-term memory. Moreover, if you’re using traditional flashcards, you can practice written German as well as improve your reading skills. And remember – flashcards can be used both for learning vocabulary and grammar, so try to use them to the fullest.
Sometimes, it can really help to see a word in context – for example, in a sentence. If a word is new to you, type it into a search bar and check example sentences. There are many platforms on the internet that can help you with that – for example, an amazing website to help you find sentence examples is http://tatoeba.org/. On the other hand, if you’re using a good language learning app, it should provide you with the translation of new words right away.

The Top 10 Most Frequently Used Words In the German Language:

1. ich
• I
• me

2. sie
• they
• she
• them
• her

3. das
• the
• that
• this
• it

4. ist
• be

5. du
• you

6. nicht
• not
• no

7. die
• the
• which
• that
• who

8. und
• and

9. es
• it

10. der
• the
• which

This is Just a Start

Of course, these are just a few common German words. If you want to become fluent, visit Germany, or make friends among native speakers, you need to learn other words as well and constantly try to improve your vocabulary.

You can create your own list of words that interest you, or you can choose those that you feel you might need the most. A fun way to learn vocabulary is to choose 5 to 10 words each day in your own language you think you will need that day, look up the German word for it, write them both down, and learn them throughout the day. Here are our top-7 words:

Words Of The Day For You:

Hallo = Hello. Every conversation starts with a “Hallo!”, which means “Hello” in German.
Liebe = Love. It’s all about love. Love is a universal feeling, and we should all talk about it, feel it and give it each day. Are we right?
Blume = Flower. Flowers are beautiful – we love all kinds of flowers. Which one is your favorite?
Katze = Cat. They can be cute, and they can be evil. Are you a cat or a dog person?
Hund = Dog. A human’s best friend – this is what they say about dogs. Do you have dogs? Do you want to get one?
Lächeln = Smile. The world is more friendly if you put a smile on your face. A smile can also help you communicate with people better and get all the answers you need.
Ja = Yes. People say “no” so often, so it’s pretty thoughtful to cultivate saying “yes” more. Say “yes” to learning German.

Fun Facts!

Did you know that the German language is well known for having some of the world’s longest words? This is due to the fact that Germans use compound terms to express whole sentences – especially when it comes to commercial and government terms. As a result, the typical German word has more than ten letters.

“Donaudampfschiffahrtselektrizitätenhauptbetriebswerkbauunterbeamtengesellschaft” is the longest German word in history, and it has letters. Lucky enough, this is not one of the most common German words. In any other language, the word would refer to the Association for officials subordinated to the head office management of the Danube steamboat electrical services, which consists of over ten terms.

Are Germans crazy? Don’t ask us. We didn’t come up with this idea.

However, this is one of the most uncommon German words. So breathe easy, you can already forget this one again. On the other hand, there is one pretty long word, which is unfortunately used quite a lot, and it is the word “Rechtsschutzversicherungsgesellschaften.” It refers to the legal security provided by insurance companies. The word has, believe it or not, 40 letters – and it is the longest German word in daily usage, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

With terms like these, it’s no surprise that Mark Twain made a joke once, saying that “some German words are so long that they even have a perspective.” Well, touché. Can’t argue this one.

Soul Food For Your Brain

Mastering a language surely requires more than just basic vocabulary. If you want to learn German and become fluent in it, you need to acquire several skills that draw on one another. In that situation, learning by yourself can be challenging, unstructured, and simply boring, but have you tried the Readle App yet?

There, you can not only find interesting stories for every level, from beginner to advanced, but you can also find the translation of each and every word just by clicking on it. Moreover, you get audio recorded by native speakers, so you can practice your listening and pronunciation skills. Readle is fun and effective, even if you learn only for a couple of minutes each day. Just remember – it’s all about regularity and persistence. Üben, üben, üben – practice, practice, practice, and you will get there.

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In reading a web page on increasing word power, there was a German word with the definition that means:

It only works when I try to show you how it does not work.

Is there a single word in German to describe that situation?

Wrzlprmft♦

21.7k8 gold badges66 silver badges130 bronze badges

asked Oct 4, 2019 at 9:51

there was a German word with the definition that means:

It only works when I try to show you how it does not work.

What you are probably looking for is called the Vorführeffekt.

It’s used like

Die öffentliche Präsentation der Anwendung scheiterte leider am Vorführeffekt.¹

It basically means that you try to give some evidence in public while showing how something works (or doesn’t work), but you fail because it just gives evidence to present the opposite.

¹⁾_{That’s why we prefer to use power point presentations and (maybe even faked) screen shots to present software in early stages of development, instead of really running a live installation of the program.}

answered Oct 4, 2019 at 10:26

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The word is «Vorführeffekt», which translates to «presentation effect».
It’s used in both cases. Something works fine all the time until you show it your boss / parents / friends. Or something broken magically works again when you are showing it the technician.

answered Oct 6, 2019 at 15:44

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