Breakdown of Kaufst du keinen Pullover?
du
you (informal singular)
kaufen
to buy
kein
no, not any
der Pullover
the sweater
Questions & Answers about Kaufst du keinen Pullover?
Why is it keinen Pullover and not just kein Pullover?
Pullover is a masculine noun (der Pullover). Because it is the direct object in this sentence (the thing being bought), it is in the accusative case. In the accusative case, the article for a masculine noun adds an -en ending, which changes kein to keinen.
Why does the German sentence use keinen instead of nicht to mean "aren't you"?
When you want to say "not a" before a noun in German, you must use the negative article kein (or its ending variations) rather than the word nicht. So instead of literally saying "not a sweater," German requires you to say the equivalent of "no sweater" (keinen Pullover).
Why does the sentence start with the verb Kaufst?
This is a yes/no question. In German, to turn a regular statement like Du kaufst (You buy) into a yes/no question, you simply swap the subject and the verb. This puts the verb in the very first position: Kaufst du...? (Are you buying...?).
The English translation says "Aren't you buying", but where is the "are" in the German sentence?
German doesn't have an "-ing" form (present continuous tense) like English does. There is only one present tense. Depending on the context, Kaufst du...? can be translated as "Do you buy...?" or "Are you buying...?".