Negative words: nie, niemand and nichts

In brief

Use nie for ‘never,’ niemand for ‘nobody’ or ‘no one,’ and nichts for ‘nothing.’ Each word makes the sentence negative on its own, so you normally do not add nicht. In English, ‘I don’t hear anything’ uses a negative verb; German can express the same idea with a single negative word: Ich höre nichts.

Form

nie + verb phrase (time); niemand + verb (person); nichts + verb (thing). Niemand can become niemanden when it is the direct object.

Usage

• Use nie to say that something never happens; it usually follows the conjugated verb in a main clause.
• Use niemand for a person who is not there or does not do something.
• Use nichts for the absence of a thing or activity; use niemanden as the direct object of verbs such as sehen.

Examples

• Ich trinke nie Kaffee. — I never drink coffee.
• Niemand ist heute zu Hause. — Nobody is home today.
• Ich habe nichts gehört. — I didn’t hear anything.
• Ich sehe hier niemanden. — I don’t see anyone here.

Common mistake

❌ Ich habe nicht nichts gehört.

✅ Ich habe nichts gehört.

To say ‘I didn’t hear anything,’ use nichts without nicht. Adding nicht changes the meaning instead of simply making the sentence negative.

Remember

Nie refers to time, niemand to people, and nichts to things. These words normally do not need an extra nicht.