Ontkenning: niet en geen
Exam relevant: This topic is covered in the Inburgeringsexamen. You're building the foundation now — A2 is the target level.
Dutch has two main negation words: "niet" (not) and "geen" (no / not a / not any). The choice between them depends on what you are negating.
"Geen" replaces the indefinite article "een" or negates bare nouns (nouns without an article). Think of "geen" as "not a" or "no".
Ik heb geen auto.
I do not have a car.
"een auto" becomes "geen auto"
Zij heeft geen kinderen.
She does not have children.
Bare plural noun
Wij hebben geen tijd.
We do not have time.
Bare noun (uncountable)
Er is geen melk.
There is no milk.
Bare noun (uncountable)
Ik heb geen zin.
I don't feel like it.
"zin" without article
Hij heeft geen ervaring.
He has no experience.
"Niet" is used in all other cases: with definite nouns (de/het), verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and prepositional phrases.
| Use "Geen" | Use "Niet" |
|---|---|
| Before nouns with "een" | With definite nouns (de/het/mijn/deze) |
| Before bare nouns (no article) | With verbs |
| Before plural nouns without article | With adjectives |
| With adverbs | |
| With prepositional phrases |
Rule of thumb: "geen" replaces "een" or negates bare nouns. "Niet" handles everything else.
"Niet" goes at the END of the sentence in most cases. But it goes BEFORE the element you want to negate: before adjectives, prepositional phrases, adverbs, and specific words you want to emphasize.
Ik werk niet.
I do not work.
End of sentence (negating the verb)
Ik ben niet moe.
I am not tired.
Before adjective "moe"
Ik ga niet naar huis.
I am not going home.
Before prepositional phrase
Hij komt niet vaak.
He does not come often.
Before adverb "vaak"
Ik ken hem niet.
I do not know him.
End of sentence
Dat is niet waar.
That is not true.
Before adjective "waar"
Scenario: Discussing tasks, availability, and skills at the office
Ik heb geen ervaring met dit programma.
I have no experience with this program.
De manager is niet aanwezig.
The manager is not present.
Wij hebben geen vergadering vandaag.
We do not have a meeting today.
Het rapport is niet klaar.
The report is not ready.
Ik heb geen vragen.
I have no questions.
Zij werkt niet op vrijdag.
She does not work on Friday.
When negating a noun with "een", always use "geen" (not "niet een").
Bare nouns (without an article) are negated with "geen", not "niet".
"Geen" is only for nouns. Adjectives are negated with "niet".
Prepositional phrases are negated with "niet", not "geen".