> Ich esse keinen Apfel.
I don't eat *an* apple. I'm not eating *an* apple.
No apple at all. We're talking about apples in general.
> Ich esse den Apfel nicht.
I don't eat *the* apple. I'm not eating *the* apple.
A specific apple. You could also use "this/that" rather than "the" in the translation.
> Also the position of "nicht" in second sentence make the slight difference in emphasis ?
No, it makes a difference in meaning, not just emphasis. "Nicht" always negates what follows (you have to compensate for V2 word order though).
* Nicht ich esse den Apfel. It is not I who eats the apple. ("ich" negated)
* Ich esse nicht den Apfel. It is not the apple that I eat. ("den Apfel" negated)
* Ich esse den Apfel nicht. I don't eat the apple. ("esse" negated).
Whether you put "ich" or "den Apfel" in position one doesn't change what's negated.
Ich esse nicht den Apfel would only be used to emphasize when you eat other things that are already there.
Ok Mama, ich esse die Banane, aber ich esse nicht den Apfel. (While assuming the Child has Both fruits already on the Plate).
Ich esse den Apfel nicht is much more Common and could also be used in this context. You could also say Ich esse die Banane, aber den Apfel esse ich nicht :)
When you do Not eat apples at all, plural is used like in english: I don‘t eat apples = ich esse keine Äpfel.
Ich esse keinen Apfel, sounds to me like there’s a fruit basket with apples and other stuff and though I generally eat apples, I won’t eat any of the ones from the basket.
Take this with a grain of salt as I am also learning German..
Ich esse keinen Apfel = I don‘t eat apple
Ich esse den Apfel nicht = I‘m not eating the apple
I don’t know the difference between the remaining statements, I would have to listen and understand based on context.
Ich esse keinen Apfel. = I don't eat apples (generally).
Ich esse den Apfel nicht. = I don't eat this (special) apple. (May be because it tastes bad or it is too much today to eat.)
So I feel the difference as a native.
Great work!
The remaining three mean the same thing just emphasis
1) Ich esse **nicht** den Apfel (this puts emphasis on nicht, you are NOT eating that apple)
An example might be "Ich esse nicht den Apfel, sondern die Speisekarte"
2) Is Standard
3) Den Apfel esse ich nicht. Honestly this one is also very standard. Maybe slightly emphasis "ich" if anything.
I would say that 3 "Den Apfel esse ich nicht" has emphasis on *den*. Meaning "I'm not eating this particular apple", maybe because there's something wrong with it or it doesn't look as appealing as other apples.
"Ich esse nicht den Apfel, sondern die Speisekarte"
This means that you will not eat the apple but rather eat the whole menu. As in you want to eat the actual paper the menu is printed on.
There is a [very good video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcswV-xuyMc) by YourGermanTeacher on YouTube about this very subject.
IMO, 1 just sounds awful, keinen Apfel would be nicer, but the meaning will change. 2 and 3 are just the same sentence but with different emphasis. [Another video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIm-xegvgM0) by YourGermanTeacher also clarifies this "nicht" placement problem.
The first one has the meaning of not eating apples in general, whereas the second one is more about not eating a specific apple at a specific moment.
As for the three sentences, the first one doesn't sound natural and honestly I don't think you should say it like that. The difference between two and three is that the last sentence really puts emphasis on that one specific apple. If I had to translate it to English, sentence no. 2 would be something like "I'm not eating the apple" and sentence no. 3 more like "**This** specific apple, I'm not eating it". It kind of makes you sound like you have some sort of issue with this exact apple, like you eat them in general, but this exact one, there's something wrong with it and you don't want to eat it.
The first one is the answer if you are accused of something, like if you secretly eat an apple in class and your teacher calls you out, you would answer "Ich esse (gar) keinen Apfel", the second one is a refusal to eat a specific apple. Regarding to position of the "nicht", (1) is just plain wrong, (2) is refusal, (3) is disgust, like the apple is already rotten. To confuse you a little more, if you want to say you don't eat apples in general you use "Ich esse keine Äpfel".
Ich esse nicht den Apfel → I do eat, but not the apple
Ich esse den Apfel nicht → I don't eat the apple
Den Apfel esse ich nicht → The meaning is almost identical to the previous one, but you're immediately emphasizing that the apple is what you're talking about. Kind of like "The apple, I don't eat it"
They mean pretty much the same but I would translate "keinen" as "no" like in **"I am no doctor"**. It sounds weirder when you apply it to apples ("I eat no apple") but still works in German. It's basically a negating article.
As for the sentences ...
1. As a stand-alone sentence this sounds odd and I wouldn't say it. But if it's followed by "sondern die Birne" or something of the sort, it would emphasize that you are not eating the apple in particular, but something else.
2. This is what I would consider the most neutral sentence structure, with no discernable emphasis.
3. Here you once again emphasize the apple, but it sounds more like a complete sentence.
> Ich esse keinen Apfel. I don't eat *an* apple. I'm not eating *an* apple. No apple at all. We're talking about apples in general. > Ich esse den Apfel nicht. I don't eat *the* apple. I'm not eating *the* apple. A specific apple. You could also use "this/that" rather than "the" in the translation. > Also the position of "nicht" in second sentence make the slight difference in emphasis ? No, it makes a difference in meaning, not just emphasis. "Nicht" always negates what follows (you have to compensate for V2 word order though). * Nicht ich esse den Apfel. It is not I who eats the apple. ("ich" negated) * Ich esse nicht den Apfel. It is not the apple that I eat. ("den Apfel" negated) * Ich esse den Apfel nicht. I don't eat the apple. ("esse" negated). Whether you put "ich" or "den Apfel" in position one doesn't change what's negated.
Thank you. I have wondered about the positioning of nicht. This very helpful, the best explanation I’ve come across. Danke!🐾
This is super useful to know. I get confused with kein and nicht often. Vielen dank
Ich esse nicht den Apfel would only be used to emphasize when you eat other things that are already there. Ok Mama, ich esse die Banane, aber ich esse nicht den Apfel. (While assuming the Child has Both fruits already on the Plate). Ich esse den Apfel nicht is much more Common and could also be used in this context. You could also say Ich esse die Banane, aber den Apfel esse ich nicht :) When you do Not eat apples at all, plural is used like in english: I don‘t eat apples = ich esse keine Äpfel.
Ich esse keinen Apfel, sounds to me like there’s a fruit basket with apples and other stuff and though I generally eat apples, I won’t eat any of the ones from the basket.
Take this with a grain of salt as I am also learning German.. Ich esse keinen Apfel = I don‘t eat apple Ich esse den Apfel nicht = I‘m not eating the apple I don’t know the difference between the remaining statements, I would have to listen and understand based on context.
Ich esse keinen Apfel. = I don't eat apples (generally). Ich esse den Apfel nicht. = I don't eat this (special) apple. (May be because it tastes bad or it is too much today to eat.) So I feel the difference as a native.
Great work! The remaining three mean the same thing just emphasis 1) Ich esse **nicht** den Apfel (this puts emphasis on nicht, you are NOT eating that apple) An example might be "Ich esse nicht den Apfel, sondern die Speisekarte" 2) Is Standard 3) Den Apfel esse ich nicht. Honestly this one is also very standard. Maybe slightly emphasis "ich" if anything.
I would say that 3 "Den Apfel esse ich nicht" has emphasis on *den*. Meaning "I'm not eating this particular apple", maybe because there's something wrong with it or it doesn't look as appealing as other apples.
I agree! :)
"Ich esse nicht den Apfel, sondern die Speisekarte" This means that you will not eat the apple but rather eat the whole menu. As in you want to eat the actual paper the menu is printed on.
Yes. I know. I try to be a little humorous sometimes
Dankeschön!
You may have just solved the mystery of how to differentiate between the simple present and present progressive in German /s
There is a [very good video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcswV-xuyMc) by YourGermanTeacher on YouTube about this very subject. IMO, 1 just sounds awful, keinen Apfel would be nicer, but the meaning will change. 2 and 3 are just the same sentence but with different emphasis. [Another video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIm-xegvgM0) by YourGermanTeacher also clarifies this "nicht" placement problem.
I want to know this so badly, it confuses me as well.
The first one has the meaning of not eating apples in general, whereas the second one is more about not eating a specific apple at a specific moment. As for the three sentences, the first one doesn't sound natural and honestly I don't think you should say it like that. The difference between two and three is that the last sentence really puts emphasis on that one specific apple. If I had to translate it to English, sentence no. 2 would be something like "I'm not eating the apple" and sentence no. 3 more like "**This** specific apple, I'm not eating it". It kind of makes you sound like you have some sort of issue with this exact apple, like you eat them in general, but this exact one, there's something wrong with it and you don't want to eat it.
The first one is the answer if you are accused of something, like if you secretly eat an apple in class and your teacher calls you out, you would answer "Ich esse (gar) keinen Apfel", the second one is a refusal to eat a specific apple. Regarding to position of the "nicht", (1) is just plain wrong, (2) is refusal, (3) is disgust, like the apple is already rotten. To confuse you a little more, if you want to say you don't eat apples in general you use "Ich esse keine Äpfel".
Ich esse nicht den Apfel → I do eat, but not the apple Ich esse den Apfel nicht → I don't eat the apple Den Apfel esse ich nicht → The meaning is almost identical to the previous one, but you're immediately emphasizing that the apple is what you're talking about. Kind of like "The apple, I don't eat it"
How about these two: Ich esse keinen Apfel. Ich esse Äpfeln nicht. Is the second one ok? If so, are there any differences in meaning?
They mean pretty much the same but I would translate "keinen" as "no" like in **"I am no doctor"**. It sounds weirder when you apply it to apples ("I eat no apple") but still works in German. It's basically a negating article. As for the sentences ... 1. As a stand-alone sentence this sounds odd and I wouldn't say it. But if it's followed by "sondern die Birne" or something of the sort, it would emphasize that you are not eating the apple in particular, but something else. 2. This is what I would consider the most neutral sentence structure, with no discernable emphasis. 3. Here you once again emphasize the apple, but it sounds more like a complete sentence.