Vielen Dank, ich möchte kein Geld.

Questions & Answers about Vielen Dank, ich möchte kein Geld.

Why is the phrase Vielen Dank and not just Viele Dank?
It comes from an older, longer phrase meaning 'I give you many thanks'. Because der Dank is a masculine noun and acts as the direct object in that hidden sentence, the adjective takes the -en ending. At this level, it is best to just memorize Vielen Dank as a fixed phrase.
Why does the German use möchte (would like) if the English translation is 'do not want'?
In German, ich möchte (I would like) is the polite and common way to express what you want, even when saying no to something. Using the literal translation ich will (I want) can sound very blunt, childish, or demanding to native speakers.
Why do we use kein here instead of nicht for 'not'?
In German, when you want to negate a noun that doesn't have a specific article like 'the' or 'a' in front of it (in this case, just 'money'), you must use a form of kein. You are literally saying 'I would like no money' rather than 'I do not want money'.
Why is the word exactly kein here, rather than keine or keinen?
The ending of kein changes based on the noun's gender and its job in the sentence. Geld is a neuter noun (das Geld), and here it is the direct object (the thing you are turning down). For neuter direct objects, the correct form is simply kein.

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