nein

See also: Nein

German

Alternative forms

• ne, nee, nö, nä, na (colloquial, regional)

Etymology

From a contraction of Old High German ni ein. Compare Old English nān, from ne ān (Modern English none, further contracted to no).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /naɪ̯n/

• Audio

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• Audio (Austria)

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• Audio

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• Rhymes: -aɪ̯n

Interjection

nein

1. no

   Hast du morgen Abend Zeit? — Nein, leider nicht.

   “Do you have time tomorrow night?” — “No, unfortunately.”

Usage notes

• Nein, being the standard word, is acceptable in all contexts. Colloquial German has a strong tendency to prefer the alternative forms given above, however.

Antonyms

• ja
• doch

Derived terms

Derived terms

• jein
• Nein n

• nein doch! - certainly not!
• nein und abermals nein! - no and again no!

Further reading

• nein in Duden online