Dutch negation
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Sign up for free'Niet' (not) and 'geen' (no), these two words indicate that the Dutch sentence is negative. However, these translations differ on the sentence. In Dutch the verb 'to do' is not necessary to make the sentence negative, unlike in English.
When to use 'geen'?
- For a negating a noun, that would have needed 'een' (a/an) when it was not a negative sentence.
- For nouns that are plural and uncountable that did not have an article in front.
| Situation | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Noun (that needed 'een') | Ik heb geen auto. | I have no car. |
| Noun (plural/uncountable) | Ik heb vandaag geen lessen. | I do not have classes today. |
When to use 'niet'?
- For elements that are not nouns, such as verbs, adjectives, thoughts.
- For nouns that are followed by a definite article or possessive pronoun.
| Situation | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Not nouns | Ik loop niet. | I do not walk. |
| Nouns followed by definite article or possessive pronoun | Dat is niet mijn glas. | That is not my glass. |
The placement of 'niet' depends on what you are trying to negate.
- When negating something particular 'niet' has to be right before it.
- Or where the time, place or manner is usually put.
Other negations
| Negation | Translation | Examples | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| niet meer / geen...meer | no(t) ... anymore no(t) ... longer |
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| nog niet / nog geen | no(t) ... yet |
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| nooit | never |
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| niets | nothing |
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| noch...noch | neither... nor... |
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Pay attention,' geen meer' is always separated by a name whereas 'niet meer' is never separated.
Train your skills by doing the exercises below!