Breakdown of Er sagt, dass der Kuchen nicht glutenfrei ist.
sein
to be
er
he
sagen
to say
nicht
not
der Kuchen
the cake (simple, baked)
dass
that
glutenfrei
gluten-free
Questions & Answers about Er sagt, dass der Kuchen nicht glutenfrei ist.
Why is nicht before glutenfrei and not at the very end of the sentence?
In many basic German sentences, nicht goes at the end. However, this is a subordinate clause starting with dass, which forces the conjugated verb (ist) to the absolute end. Because nicht is negating the adjective glutenfrei, it sits directly in front of it, just before the verb.
Could we place nicht earlier, like right after Kuchen?
No. The rule for negating adjectives with nicht is that it must come immediately before the adjective it negates. Since it specifically negates glutenfrei, it has to stay right next to it as nicht glutenfrei.
Why do we use nicht here instead of kein?
You use kein to negate nouns that either have an indefinite article or no article at all. In this sentence, we are negating the adjective glutenfrei, so we must use nicht.
Where would nicht go if we negated the first part instead, meaning he does not say it?
If you negate the main clause, the nicht goes right before the comma. The sentence would become: Er sagt nicht, dass der Kuchen glutenfrei ist.
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