PronounA1

nichts

nothing · not anything

Nichts means 'nothing' or 'not anything'. It is used to negate the existence or presence of things, and is very common in everyday German. It can also appear in fixed expressions like 'nichts wie' (let's go) or 'das war nichts' (that didn't work).

What nichts means

nothing — general negation of things
not anything — in negative sentences, often with 'nicht' or other negatives

Heard in real German videos

Lines where nichts was actually spoken, from German videos watched with DeutschChat.

Du weißt überhaupt nichts.You don't know anything at all.
Das war wohl nichts.That didn't work out.
Nichts als Hügel, Hügel, Hügel.Nothing but hills, hills, hills.

Example sentences

Ich habe nichts zu essen.I have nothing to eat.
Es gibt nichts Neues.There is nothing new.
Nichts ist unmöglich.Nothing is impossible.
Er hat nichts gesagt.He said nothing.

Grammar

Type	indefinite pronoun
Case forms	nichts (nominative, accusative, dative, genitive)
Genitive	nichts (rarely used)

Nichts is invariable; it does not change for case or gender. It is often used with 'es gibt' (there is/are) to mean 'there is nothing'.

Common phrases

nichts wie weglet's get out of here
das macht nichtsthat doesn't matter
nichts zu dankenyou're welcome (nothing to thank for)
nichts Besonderesnothing special

The mistake English speakers make

English speakers often say 'Ich habe kein nichts' (double negative). In German, 'nichts' already includes the negation, so use 'Ich habe nichts' instead.

Don’t confuse it with

nicht — 'Nicht' negates verbs or adjectives (not), while 'nichts' means 'nothing' and stands for a thing.
nie — 'Nie' means 'never' (time), while 'nichts' means 'nothing' (thing).

Questions learners ask

What is the difference between 'nichts' and 'nicht'?

'Nicht' negates a verb or adjective, e.g., 'Ich gehe nicht' (I am not going). 'Nichts' means 'nothing', e.g., 'Ich sehe nichts' (I see nothing).

How do you say 'nothing' in German?

The word for 'nothing' is 'nichts'. It is used as a pronoun and does not change form.

Can 'nichts' be used with a preposition?

Yes, 'nichts' can be used after prepositions, e.g., 'Ich habe an nichts gedacht' (I thought of nothing). It does not combine with prepositions into da-compounds; da-compounds like 'dafür' are used to refer to something else, not to mean 'for nothing'.