It is true that negation is an act of refusal, rejection or denial but what is more true is that when it is done twice in one sentence, it becomes an approval or a yes. Find out how!
| Content in this post |
|---|
| 1. The meaning of doppelte Verneinung 2. Doppelte Verneinung with adjectives 3. Doppelte Verneinung with adverbs 4. Doppelte Verneinung with prepositions 5. Doppelte Verneinung with nouns 6. Doppelte Verneinung with pronouns 7. Doppelte Verneinung with verbs |
Doppelte Verneinung or double negation as translated in English, is a grammatical construction which involves the use of two negating factors in one sentence to affirm the positive or opposite of the expression. It is used in other to avoid explicitly admitting yes. This is often done with the negative particle (nicht or keinerlei) or the negation article (kein, keine etc.) together with either a negative adjective, adverb, preposition, nouns, pronoun or even verb.
In German, the two negating factors cancel out each other like the mathematical expression xy/x =y or (-) x (-)= + where both x and minus sign cancel out each other. Hence, it is very important for one to be mindful when negating a sentence so as not to undo the actual intent of their statement.
Doppelte Verneinung with adjectives
Together with the negation particle nicht, negative adjectives can be used to make a positive remark. These adjectives are usually those with the prefix un-, ir-, des-, in-, miss– or the suffix –los and those that naturally have negative meanings. Some examples of such adjectives are listed below
| Doppelte Verneinung = Bejahung | English translation |
|---|---|
| nicht arbeitslos = beschäftigt | not jobless = employed |
| nicht bargeldlos = zahlungskräftig | not cashless = cash-rich |
| nicht hoffnungslos = hoffnungsvoll | not hopeless = hopeful |
| nicht desinteressiert = interessiert | not uninterested = interested |
| nicht desorganisiert = organisiert | not disorganized = organized |
| nicht desorientiert = orientiert | not disoriented = oriented |
| nicht destruktiv = konstruktiv | not destructive = constructive |
| nicht ineffizient = effizient | not inefficient = efficient |
| nicht irrational = rational | not irrational = rational |
| nicht irreal = real | not unreal = real |
| nicht irreführend = freimütig | not misleading = straightforward |
| nicht irreleitend = ehrlich | not deceitful = honest |
| nicht irreligiös = religiös | not irreligious = religious |
| nicht missgünstig = freudvoll | not jealous = content |
| nicht missmutig = fröhlich | not moody = cheerful |
| nicht unbequem = bequem | not uncomfortable = comfortable |
| nicht unfähig = fähig | not incapable = capable |
| nicht unglaublich = glaublich | not unbelievable = believable |
| nicht unglücklich = glücklich | not unlucky = lucky |
| nicht uninteressant = interessant | not uninteresting = interesting |
| nicht unsicher = sicher | not unsure/uncertain = sure/certain |
| nicht unsichtbar = sichtbar | not invincible = visible |
| nicht hässlich = hübsch | not ugly = pretty |
| nicht schmutzig = sauber | not dirty = clean |
| nicht traurig = glücklich | not sad = happy |
| nicht verrückt = vernünftig | not crazy = sane |
| German | English |
|---|---|
| 1. Diese Maschine ist nicht ineffizient. | This machine is not inefficient. |
| 2. Mein Kleid ist nicht schmutzig. | My gown is not dirty. |
| 3. Der Mitarbeiter ist nicht unfähig. | The colleague is not incapable. |
| 4. Ich bin nicht mehr arbeitslos. | I am no more jobless. |
Doppelte Verneinung with adverbs
Adverbial sentences can either be double-negated with nicht or a negative adverb or adjective in order to imply the positive. For example; nicht selten = oft. See below for more of these adverbs.
| German | English |
|---|---|
| nie/niemals + nicht = immer | never + not = ever |
| selten + nicht = oft | barely/rarely + not = often |
| kaum + nicht = einfach | hardly + not = easily |
| German | English |
|---|---|
| 1. Maria ist selten nicht zu Hause. | Mary is barely not at home. |
| 2. Warum bist du nie unglücklich? | Why are you never unhappy? |
Doppelte Verneinung with prepositions
The prepositions ohne and zu are used with nicht or kein– to double-negate a sentence with either positive nouns and or negative adjectives.
| Doppelte Verneinung = Bejahung | English translation |
|---|---|
| nicht ohne = mit z.B nicht ohne Probleme = mit Probleme | not without = with e.g not without problems = with problems |
| nicht zu = mit z.B nicht zu Unrecht = zu Recht | not without = with e.g not without wrong = with wrong |
| German | English |
|---|---|
| 1. Das Zimmer ist nicht zu dunkel = Das Zimmer ist hell. 2. Sara erzählt ihre Geschichten nicht ohne Wahrheit = Sara erzählt ihre Geschichten mit Truth. 3. Sara erzählt keine Geschichte ohne die Wahrheit = Sara erzählt Geschichten mit Wahrheit. | The room is not too dark = The room is bright. Sara doesn’t tell her stories without truth = Sara tells her stories with Truth. Sara doesn’t tell any story without the truth = Sara tells stories with truth. |
Doppelte Verneinung with nouns
Another way to double-negate a sentence is with the negating factor nicht or kein– and a negative noun. These negative nouns can either be naturally occurring or substantives of negative adjectives. Some examples are;
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Unehrlichkeit Traurigkeit Ungeduld Kriminelle Böse Missbrauch | dishonesty sadness impatience criminal wicked abuse |
| German | English |
|---|---|
| 1. Ich will keine Unehrlichkeit = ich will Ehrlichkeit 2. Sei bitte nicht der Kriminelle. | I don’t want dishonesty = I want honesty. Please don’t be the criminal. |
Doppelte Verneinung with pronouns
In addition to the above ways of double negating a sentence in German, sentences can as well be double-negated using certain indefinite and distributive pronouns that connote the negative. These pronouns are either combined with themselves or negative adjectives and not nicht. Examples of such pronouns are listed below.
| German | English |
|---|---|
| 1. Nirgendwo ist unsicher, wenn man nicht alleine ist. 2. Du sagst niemandem nichts. 3. Keiner war unintelligent, als er etwas verstehen konnte. 4. Nichts wird uninteressant, wenn ich glücklich bin = alles wird interessant, wenn ich glücklich bin. | Nowhere is unsafe when one is not alone. You are telling nothing to nobody. No one was unintelligent when he could understand something. Nothing becomes uninteresting when I am happy. |
| German | English |
|---|---|
| nichts keine*m*n*r niemand nirgends/ nirgendwo | nothing none/ no one nobody nowhere |
Doppelte Verneinung with verbs
This is done with certain verbs that are naturally negative in meaning because they are used to make a decline or rejection of a request. Hence, to make the positive out of them, they are either negated with nicht or with a negative indefinite or distributive pronoun. Examples of such verbs are;
| German | English |
|---|---|
| nicht ablehnen = annehmen nicht verweigern = akzeptieren nicht aufhören = weitermachen nicht abstoßen = akzeptieren | not deny = accept not reject = accept not stop = continue not repel = accept |
| German | English |
|---|---|
| 1. Ich lehne nichts ab = Ich akzeptiere alles. 2. Ich lehne es nicht ab = Ich akzeptiere es. 3. Der Mann verweigert niemanden. | I am denying nothing. I am not denying it. The man rejects nobody. |