Yes in German is ja (yah) and no is nein (sounds like "nine"). German also has a third answer, doch, a "yes" that contradicts a negative question or statement: Hast du keinen Hunger? – Doch! (Aren't you hungry? – Yes, I am!). Inside a sentence, "not" is nicht or kein, never nein.
- Yes
- ja
- No
- nein
- Yes (contradicting)
- doch
- Casual no
- nee, nö
- Not / no (in a sentence)
- nicht, kein
- Level
- A1
How do you say yes and no politely or casually?
A bare ja or nein is fine, but Germans often add a word to sound friendlier, firmer or more relaxed.
| German | English | Feel |
|---|---|---|
| Ja | Yes | Neutral |
| Ja, gerne | Yes, I'd love to | Accepting an offer or invitation |
| Ja, bitte | Yes, please | Accepting something offered |
| Klar / Na klar | Sure / Of course | Casual |
| Genau | Exactly | Agreeing; extremely common |
| Nein | No | Neutral |
| Nein, danke | No, thank you | Turning down an offer |
| Nee / Nö | Nope | Casual speech |
| Leider nicht | Unfortunately not | A soft no |
| Auf keinen Fall | No way | Firm |
| Jein | Yes and no | Playful: ja + nein |
Short answers in German often repeat the key word instead of saying "it is". Asked whether it's cold, Lena doesn't stop at ja:
"Ja. Sehr kalt. Und nass."When do you say doch instead of ja?
Use doch to say yes to a question or statement that contains a negative (nicht, kein, nie). A plain ja would be confusing there, because nobody could tell whether you agree with the negative or contradict it.
Kommst du nicht mit? – Doch, ich komme!
Aren't you coming? – Yes, I am!
Du hast keine Zeit, oder? – Doch, heute schon.
You haven't got time, have you? – Actually, I do today.
Das stimmt nicht! – Doch!
That's not true! – Yes, it is!
Hast du keinen Hunger? – Nein.
Aren't you hungry? – No (I'm not).
Nein agrees with the negative.
What is the difference between nein, nicht and kein?
Nein is only an answer word: it stands alone or at the front. To make a sentence negative, use nicht for verbs, adjectives and names, and kein ("no, not a") in front of nouns.
Nein, ich habe kein Auto.
No, I don't have a car.
nein answers; kein negates the noun.
Das ist nicht gut.
That's not good.
Ich trinke keinen Kaffee.
I don't drink coffee.
To talk about saying yes or no, German uses ja sagen and nein sagen, usually in lower case. In this A1 story, Anna, who has swapped places with her twin sister, finally admits what she agreed to while pretending to be her:
Er kommt heute Abend. Um sieben Uhr. Zum Essen. Ich habe ja gesagt.How do Germans agree without saying ja?
In conversation you'll often hear these instead of a plain yes:
- Genau. Exactly. Possibly the most-used agreement word in spoken German.
- Stimmt. True, that's right.
- Richtig. Correct.
- Okay or Alles klar. OK, got it.
- Mhm. Yes, I'm listening.
Germans also invite a yes by adding oder? or, in the north, ne? to the end of a sentence: Schön hier, oder? (Nice here, isn't it?).
To accept or refuse an offer gracefully, pair your answer with please or thank you. And for the most important yes of all, see how to say I love you in German.
Read The Swap Weeks at A1, free for two chapters, and find out who Anna said yes to.
Read free in your browserFrequently asked questions
How do you pronounce ja and nein?
Ja is "yah": the German j sounds like an English y. Nein sounds just like the English number "nine".
What does jein mean?
A blend of ja and nein: "yes and no" or "sort of". It's informal and a little playful, used when the honest answer is complicated.
Is nee rude?
No, it's simply casual, like "nope" or "nah". It's normal with friends and family. In a job interview or with a stranger, use nein.
Do Germans say jawohl?
Rarely in ordinary conversation. Jawohl is a very emphatic yes, associated with the military and formal obedience. Today people mostly use it jokingly.