Questions & Answers about Sie spricht kaum Deutsch.
Why is this sentence in a lesson about the position of nicht when it uses kaum?
The word kaum (hardly or barely) is a limiting adverb that restricts an action, and it follows the exact same placement rules in a sentence as nicht. Practicing where to put kaum naturally reinforces your instincts for where nicht belongs.
If I wanted to completely negate this and say 'She speaks no German', would I use nicht?
Could I put kaum at the very end of the sentence?
No, that would sound unnatural here. While nicht can sometimes go at the end of a sentence to negate an entire action, kaum usually sits immediately before the specific information it limits. Here, it limits her German, so it must go right before Deutsch.
Where does kaum go if we turn this into a complex sentence, for example using dass (that)?
It stays securely attached to Deutsch. In a subordinate clause, the conjugated verb is sent to the end, but the kaum Deutsch block stays exactly as it is: Ich weiß, dass sie kaum Deutsch spricht (I know that she hardly speaks German).
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