01
nie
never
At no time; never.
example
Ich habe noch nie Sushi gegessen.
I have never eaten sushi before.
nie
never
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Sentence position
Like other adverbs, 'nie' (never) can stand in position 1 and trigger inversion. When it appears within the sentence, it is usually placed after the conjugated verb and pronouns.
EXAMPLE
Nie hätte ich das von dir gedacht.
Never would I have thought that of you.
Absolute negation
'Nie' (never) negates an action or event for all points in time. It means that something has not happened or will not happen at any point in the past, present, or future.
EXAMPLE
Er war noch nie in Asien.
He has never been to Asia.
No double negation
In German, double negation is avoided. Do not use 'nie' (never) together with other negative words like 'kein' (no/not any) or 'nicht' (not) in the same part of the sentence.
EXAMPLE
Er hat nie Zeit für mich.
He never has time for me.
Fixed expression
The phrase 'nie und nimmer' (never ever) is a fixed idiom used for strong emphasis. It expresses absolute and often emotional refusal or impossibility.
EXAMPLE
Das werde ich nie und nimmer akzeptieren!
I will never ever accept that!
Compare with
nie vs immer
always
'immer' and 'nie' are clear opposites. Both talk about frequency or time. 'immer' means that something happens at all times or on every occasion. 'nie' means that something happens at no time. Learners may confuse them because both often appear in a similar position in the sentence. Also important: 'nie' already makes the sentence negative, so you normally do not need an additional 'nicht'. So 'immer' means 'every time', while 'nie' means 'not even once'.
nie
In der Küche bleibt der Herd nie an, wenn niemand zu Hause ist.
In the kitchen, the stove is never left on when no one is at home.
immer
Im Sommer trinke ich immer Wasser mit Zitrone.
In summer, I always drink water with lemon.
In real life
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