CHAPTER 4

Lesson 34 · No, not, never

No

Let us look at the following 2 sentences:1. do you want milk in the coffee (Dutch: want you milk in the coffee?)and the answer:

2. No, I don’t want milk in the coffee.

Use nee as a negative answer. Use geen to negate an indefinite noun phrase: Ik heb een auto. → Ik heb geen auto. and Ik drink koffie. → Ik drink geen koffie. Use niet in other common cases: Ik ben niet moe., Ik kom niet vandaag., Ik drink niet op kantoor.

Niet does not always come immediately after the verb. It often comes before an adjective, prepositional phrase or infinitive: niet blij, niet naar huis, niet zwemmen. Nooit means “never”: Ik rook nooit.

The position of niet depends on what is being negated. In these examples it comes before the time or place phrase. Learn the complete sentence rather than a rule that it always follows the verb.

The same rule applies when using "not" with words such as "here", "there", or other indicators of place or time.

At the first sentence we are dealing with time:

At the second sentence we are dealing with a place

More examples

1 do you drink wine?

2 no, I don't drink wine

1 do you drink wine at the office ?

2 no, I don't drink at the office

1 I never drink at the office

1 do you go to Amsterdam ?

2 no, I don't go to Amsterdam

Test

1. Do you drink wine?

2. No, I don’t drink wine

1. Do you drink wine at the office ?

2. No, I don’t drink at the office

1. Do you go to Amsterdam ?

2. No, I don’t go to Amsterdam

Check your understanding

Say or write your answer first. Then open the answer to check.

Complete: Ik heb ___ auto. (no car)
Ik heb geen auto.
Complete: Ik kom vandaag ___. (not coming)
Ik kom vandaag niet.