Being Famous: Grammar & Phonics (AQA GCSE German): Revision Note
Exam code: 8662
In listening and reading tasks, negative structures can change the meaning of a sentence
You can also use them to add more detail and contrast to your writing and speaking
Let's look at these in more detail
Negation
Use negative structures to say not, never, nothing and nobody in German
The most common negative is nicht (not) - place it after the verb, or directly before the element you want to negate
Use kein/keine instead of nicht when negating a noun that would otherwise have an indefinite article or no article
English | German | Example |
|---|---|---|
not | nicht | Er ist nicht berühmt. He is not famous. |
no, not a | kein / keine | Sie hat keine Freiheit. She has no freedom. |
never | nie | Ich werde nie berühmt sein. I will never be famous. |
nothing | nichts | Er sagt nichts über sein Privatleben. He says nothing about his private life. |
nobody | niemand | Niemand versteht das Leben eines Stars. Nobody understands the life of a celebrity. |
no longer, not anymore | nicht mehr | Er ist nicht mehr so bekannt. He is no longer so well known. |
not yet | noch nicht | Sie ist noch nicht berühmt. She is not yet famous. |
Nicht usually goes at the end of a clause, or directly before the element being negated:
Ich mag die Medien nicht.
I don't like the media.Das ist nicht einfach.
That is not easy.
Kein agrees with the gender of the noun it negates:
Er hat kein Geld. (nt) - He has no money.
Sie hat keine Freiheit. (f) - She has no freedom.
Das ist kein Vorteil. (m) - That is no advantage.
In two-verb structures such as modal verbs, nicht goes after the conjugated verb and before the infinitive:
Er will nicht berühmt werden. - He doesn't want to become famous.
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Make sure you choose the right negative - use kein/keine to negate a noun (keine Freiheit, kein Geld), and nicht to negate a verb, adjective or adverb (nicht berühmt, nicht arbeiten)
Advanced negation
These structures are particularly useful at Higher tier for expressing more complex ideas and adding contrast to your writing and speaking
English | German | Example |
|---|---|---|
neither … nor | weder … noch | Er ist weder reich noch berühmt. He is neither rich nor famous. |
hardly, barely | kaum | Man kann kaum allein sein, wenn man berühmt ist. You can hardly be alone when you are famous. |
no … left, no longer any | kein … mehr | Sie hat keine Freizeit mehr. She has no free time left. |
Weder … noch links two negative elements - the verb stays in second position as normal:
Das Leben eines Stars ist weder einfach noch privat.
The life of a celebrity is neither easy nor private.
Kein … mehr is used instead of nicht mehr when negating a noun - kein still agrees with the gender of the noun:
Er hat kein Geld mehr. (nt) He has no money left.
Sie hat keine Freiheit mehr. (f) She has no freedom left.
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Using weder … noch and kaum accurately in your writing will demonstrate a more sophisticated command of German
Try to include at least one complex negative structure in your extended writing tasks, for example: Das Leben eines Stars ist weder einfach noch privat, und man kann kaum allein sein.
Being famous: phonics
The umlaut ä in German is pronounced like the 'e' in the English word 'bed'
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