One word, two jobs
In English, not attaches to the verb: I have not read the book. German nicht is a free element in the middle of the sentence, and its position is meaningful. Move it a few words to the left and you deny something else. To deny a single word, English changes the stress or rebuilds the sentence (it wasn't me who said that). German just moves nicht.
Satznegation
The whole statement is false. nicht goes as far right as the sentence allows. This is the normal case.
Ich habe das Buch nicht gelesen.
I haven't read the book.
Sondernegation
One element is false, the rest stands. nicht goes directly in front of that element, usually followed by a sondern clause.
Ich habe nicht das Buch gelesen, sondern nur die Zusammenfassung.
I didn't read the book, only the summary.
The default: as far right as possible
For Satznegation, nicht stands at the end of the middle part of the sentence, right in front of whatever closes the bracket (Partizip, Infinitiv, separable prefix). If nothing closes the bracket, nicht is the last word. A noun with ein or with no article is negated with kein instead of nicht.
The slot
nicht comes after the parts of the sentence that stay true when the statement is denied: the subject, pronouns, definite objects and time adverbials. The book still exists and yesterday still happened.
nicht in its default slot
Ich kenne ihn nicht.
I don't know him.
Nothing closes the bracket, so nicht is last.
Sie hat mich gestern nicht angerufen.
She didn't call me yesterday.
After the pronoun and after gestern, before the separable prefix.
Ich kann dir heute leider nicht helfen.
I'm afraid I can't help you today.
Ich komme später, weil ich den Zug nicht erreicht habe.
I'll be late because I missed the train.
In a subordinate clause nicht stands in front of the whole verb cluster at the end.
What nicht does not overtake
Besides the verb forms, some elements belong so closely to the verb that they form the predicate with it. nicht always stops in front of them. Prepositional objects, directions and gern look like ordinary middle-field material, but they complete the verb.
nicht stands in front of these
| Element | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| Partizip II | Ich habe die Mail nicht bekommen. | I didn't get the email. |
| Infinitiv after a modal | Wir dürfen hier nicht parken. | We're not allowed to park here. |
| separable prefix | Der Aufzug fährt heute nicht runter. | The lift isn't going down today. |
| predicative adjective | Der Film war nicht gut. | The film wasn't good. |
| direction | Wir fahren morgen nicht nach Hamburg. | We're not going to Hamburg tomorrow. |
| prepositional object | Ich erinnere mich nicht an seinen Namen. | I don't remember his name. |
| gern and other manner words | Sie fährt nicht gern Auto. | She doesn't like driving. |
The reinforced forms noch nicht, nicht mehr, gar nicht and überhaupt nicht take the same slot as one block: Ich habe die Mail noch nicht bekommen. — Sie wohnt nicht mehr hier. — Das gefällt mir überhaupt nicht.
Denying one word instead of the sentence
Pull nicht out of its late slot and put it directly in front of one element, and only that element is denied. Everything else is asserted. That is why a sondern clause usually follows: you say what is not the case and then what is.
Moving nicht forward
The first sentence denies the meeting. The second confirms the meeting and denies only the day. When the element you deny is the Partizip itself, nicht lands in its default slot anyway. Position cannot tell the two readings apart, and stress and the sondern clause carry the contrast.
Er hat das Auto nicht gekauft, sondern gemietet.
He didn't buy the car, he rented it.
Same slot as the default; the stress on gekauft marks the contrast.
Nicht ich habe angefangen, sondern er.
I wasn't the one who started it, he was.
nicht and the word it denies form one constituent in first position, so the verb is still second.
Nicht alle Kollegen waren einverstanden.
Not all of my colleagues agreed.
