Questions & Answers about Der Kaffee ist nicht kalt.
Why is nicht placed right before kalt?
When you want to negate an adjective that comes after the verb (like kalt here), you place nicht directly in front of that adjective. It follows the exact same word order as 'not cold' in English.
Could I use kein here instead of nicht?
No, you must use nicht here. The word kein is only used to negate nouns (meaning 'not a' or 'no'). Because kalt is an adjective describing the coffee, you have to use nicht.
Why doesn't kalt have an ending like -e or -er?
In German, adjectives only get extra endings when they come directly before a noun (like der kalte Kaffee). When the adjective comes after the verb to describe the subject, it stays in its basic dictionary form: kalt.
How do I know the gender of Kaffee in this sentence?
The word der at the very beginning of the sentence is the masculine word for 'the'. This tells us that Kaffee is a masculine noun.