Geen or niet?

Use _geen_ instead of _een_ (_Ik heb geen auto_), and before a plural (more than one, like _kinderen_) or an uncountable noun (something you don't count, like _tijd_) when there is no _de_ or _het_ in front: _Ik heb geen tijd_. Use _niet_ for everything else, such as verbs (doing words), adjectives (describing words), names, and nouns with _de_, _het_ or _mijn_: _Ik heb de auto niet_, _Het is niet koud_. As a rough guide, _geen_ is the Dutch "no" and _niet_ is the Dutch "not".

The pattern

_Geen_ takes the place of _een_, and it also goes before plurals and uncountable nouns that have no article (no _de_, _het_ or _een_). _Niet_ says "not" to everything else.

• _een fiets_ becomes _geen fiets_, _kinderen_ becomes _geen kinderen_, _tijd_ becomes _geen tijd_ (more in [Countable and uncountable nouns](#/lesson/uncountable-nouns)).
• _Geen_ stands right before the noun, or before an adjective plus noun: _geen grote tas_.
• _Niet_ goes with verbs (_Ik werk niet_), adjectives (_niet koud_), names (_Ik ken Ahmed niet_), words like _veel_ (_niet veel tijd_), and nouns with _de_, _het_, _deze_, _dit_ or a possessive (a word that says whose, like _mijn_ or _haar_).
• With a preposition (a small linking word such as _naar_ or _met_), think about what you say "not" to. To say "not" about the whole phrase, put _niet_ in front of it: _Ik ga vandaag niet naar school_. This is the most common pattern. _Geen_ after a preposition is also correct when you say "no" about the noun itself: _Ik praat met geen enkele buurman_ (I don't talk to a single neighbour). For the exact place of _niet_, see [Where does niet go?](#/lesson/niet-position)

Examples

Why it works this way

_Geen_ belongs to the noun: it does the job of _een_, with a "no" built in. _Niet_ is the all-rounder that says no to verbs, describing words, names, and nouns that already have their own little word in front.

English gives you a quick test. If English could say "no", "not a" or "not any", Dutch usually wants _geen_: "I have no car", "I don't have any time". If English needs a plain "not", as in "not cold" or "not the car", Dutch wants _niet_.

The test fails with _honger_ (hunger) and _dorst_ (thirst). English says "I'm not hungry", but Dutch uses the noun with _hebben_, so you get _Ik heb geen honger_.

German speakers have it easy: _geen_ works much like "kein", and _niet_ much like "nicht". Spanish uses "no" for both jobs, so Spanish speakers are often tempted to use _niet_ everywhere.

Remember: think of _geen_ as _niet_ and _een_ melted into one word. It needs the empty spot right in front of the noun. If _de_, _het_ or _mijn_ already sits there, the spot is taken, so _niet_ does the job.

Watch out

• Not: _Ik heb niet honger._ Say: _Ik heb geen honger._ (English says hungry, but _honger_ is a noun with no article)
• Not: _Het is geen koud._ Say: _Het is niet koud._ (_koud_ is an adjective, not a noun)
• Not: _Ik heb geen mijn paspoort._ Say: _Ik heb mijn paspoort niet._ (_mijn_ already stands before the noun)
• Not: _Het is niet probleem._ Say: _Het is geen probleem._ (no article before _probleem_, so _geen_)

Quick check

1. Choose _geen_ or _niet_: _Lotte heeft ... fiets. Ze neemt de bus._
2. Choose _geen_ or _niet_: _Het is vandaag ... warm._
3. Choose _geen_ or _niet_: _Daan ziet zijn fiets ... bij het station._
4. Fix the sentence by changing one word: _Carlos heeft niet kinderen._

Answers

1. _geen_ (it replaces _een_: _een fiets_ becomes _geen fiets_)
2. _niet_ (_warm_ is an adjective)
3. _niet_ (_zijn_ already stands before _fiets_)
4. _Carlos heeft geen kinderen._ (a plural without an article takes _geen_)

Use it today

Open your fridge and say three things you have and three things you don't: _Ik heb melk. Ik heb geen eieren._ Then look outside and describe the weather with _niet_, for example _Het is niet warm._