If you're trying to learn Dutch Negation which is also called Nederlands, check our courses about Negation and negative expressions... to help you with your Dutch grammar. Try to concentrate on the lesson and notice the pattern that occurs each time the word changes its place. Also don't forget to check the rest of our other lessons listed on Learn Dutch. Enjoy the rest of the lesson!
Learning the Dutch Negation is very important because its structure is used in every day conversation. The more you master it the more you get closer to mastering the Dutch language. But first we need to know what the role of Negation is in the structure of the grammar in Dutch.
Dutch negation is the process that turns an affirmative statement (I am happy) into its opposite denial (I am not happy). Dutch has the following negation nee, niet and geen. Nee means no, niet is used to negate verbs, Ik doe dat niet, I won’t do it, ik kom niet, I don’t come. Geen is used for nouns ik heb geen boek,I don’t have a book. Here are some examples:
| English Negation | Dutch Negation |
|---|---|
| Negation | Ontkenning |
| he is not here | hij is niet hier |
| that is not my book | dat is niet mijn boek |
| do not enter | niet binnenkomen |
Notice the structure of the Negation in Dutch has a logical pattern. Locate the Negation above and see how it works with the rest of the sentence in Nederlands.
In Dutch, negation can be made simply by placing "niet" before the main verb.
Ik kan dit niet doen. (I can't do this).
Ik hou er niet van. (I don’t like it).
In some other situations (where quantities are involved) one uses “geen” (none).
Ik heb geen tijd. (I have no time)
Below is a list of the Negation and negative expressions in Dutch placed in a table. Memorizing this table will help you add very useful and important words to your Dutch vocabulary.
| English Negation | Dutch Negation |
|---|---|
| I don't speak | (niet/geen depending on context) |
| I don't write | Ik schrijf niet |
| I don't drive | Ik rijd niet |
| I don't love | Ik hou niet van |
| I don't give | Ik geef geen |
| I don't smile | ik glimlach niet |
| I don't take | Ik neem niet |
| he doesn't speak | Hij spreekt niet |
| he doesn't write | Hij schrijft niet |
| he doesn't drive | Hij rijdt niet |
| he doesn't love | Hij houdt niet van |
| he doesn't give | Hij geeft geen |
| he doesn't smile | Hij glimlacht niet |
| he doesn't take | hij neemt niet |
| we don't speak | We spreken niet |
| we don't write | Wij schrijven geen |
| we don't drive | we rijden niet |
| we don't love | we houden niet van |
| we don't give | We geven geen |
| we don't smile | we glimlachen niet |
| we don't take | Wij nemen geen |
Negation and negative expressions have a very important role in Dutch. Once you're done with the Nederlands Negation, you might want to check the rest of our Dutch lessons here: Learn Dutch. Don't forget to bookmark this page.
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