Breakdown of Ein Seil ist wichtig, aber wir haben leider keins.
sein
to be
ein
a, an (eine)
haben
to have
aber
but
wir
we
leider
unfortunately
wichtig
important
keiner
none / not one (sister forms: keins, keine)
das Seil
the rope
Questions & Answers about Ein Seil ist wichtig, aber wir haben leider keins.
Why is the word keins used here instead of just kein?
In German, when a negative word stands alone and completely replaces a noun (instead of sitting in front of one), it needs a stronger ending. Because it replaces the neuter noun das Seil (the rope) as the direct object, it takes the neuter ending -s, becoming keins. If it were placed in front of the noun, you would just say kein Seil.
Is keins a shortened version of another word?
Yes, it is a shortened form of keines. In spoken German and everyday writing, the -e- is almost always dropped, making keins much more natural to hear and say. Both are grammatically correct.
What case is keins in this sentence?
It is in the accusative case. The verb haben (to have) requires a direct object, which takes the accusative. Luckily, for neuter pronouns replacing nouns, the nominative and accusative forms are exactly the same (keins).
Why doesn't the word aber push the verb to the end of the sentence?
aber (but) belongs to a small group of coordinating conjunctions (along with und and oder) that take up position zero in a clause. This means it does not count towards the word order rules, so the subject (wir) and the conjugated verb (haben) stay in their standard first and second positions.
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