B1 · Negation
Negating a word rather than a sentence
unmöglich, ohne, -los, -frei
Four ways to build the opposite of a word, and the difference between -los and -frei.
Not every negation is a nicht. German builds negative words with the prefix un- (unmöglich, unklar, Unglück), with the suffixes -los and -frei, and with the preposition ohne. Using them shortens a sentence and changes its tone: Das ist unmöglich is flatter and more final than Das ist nicht möglich.
The two suffixes are not interchangeable, and the difference is worth knowing because it is one of judgement. -los says something is missing: arbeitslos, sinnlos, hilflos. -frei says something unwanted is absent: alkoholfrei, stressfrei, zuckerfrei. The same root gives opposite tones — fehlerlos and fehlerfrei both mean without errors, but a sorgenfreies Leben is enviable and a sorgloser Mensch is careless.
And ohne takes the accusative and no article: ohne Auto, ohne mich.
Die Form
| un- | unmöglich, unklar, Unglück |
| -los | arbeitslos, kostenlos, sinnlos |
| -frei | alkoholfrei, zuckerfrei, rauchfrei |
| ohne + accusative | ohne Zucker, ohne ihn |
| nicht- | nichtstaatlich, nichtöffentlich |
Die Regeln im Einzelnen
un- attaches to adjectives and nouns and carries the stress.
Das ist unwichtig.That is unimportant.
-los marks an absence that is felt as a lack.
Er ist seit einem Jahr arbeitslos.He has been unemployed for a year.
-frei marks an absence that is welcome.
Ich trinke alkoholfreies Bier.I drink alcohol-free beer.
ohne takes the accusative and normally no article.
Kaffee ohne Milch, bitte.Coffee without milk, please.
Genauer hingesehen
Where un- does not work
German cannot put un- on everything. It attaches happily to adjectives of judgement (unklar, unfair, unnötig) and to many nouns (Unruhe, Unsinn, Unfall), but where a genuine opposite word already exists, German uses that instead: the opposite of gut is schlecht, not "ungut", and the opposite of groß is klein.
When both exist they are not the same. Unschön is not hässlich — it is a careful, softened way of saying that something is not right, and it is used about situations more than about looks. The prefix form tends to be the diplomatic one.
Ausnahmen und Sonderfälle (2)
-
the noun with un- is a bad event
un- means "bad" rather than "not".
Es gab ein Unwetter.There was a storm.
Ein Unfall is not a non-fall and Unwetter is not an absence of weather — the prefix intensifies into something harmful.
-
ohne is followed by a verb
the construction is ohne zu plus infinitive, or ohne dass with a clause.
Er ging, ohne etwas zu sagen.He left without saying anything.
A preposition cannot govern a verb directly.
Woran man es erkennt
- un-
- -los
- -frei
- ohne
- nicht-
- miss-
Beispielsätze
Das ist völlig unmöglich.That is completely impossible.
Die Antwort war sinnlos.The answer was pointless.
Wir bieten einen barrierefreien Zugang.We provide step-free access.
Sie kam ohne Termin.She came without an appointment.
Sein Verhalten war unverständlich.His behaviour was incomprehensible.
Noch 6 Beispielsätze
Der Termin ist unverbindlich.The appointment is without obligation.
Das Wasser ist keimfrei.The water is sterile.
Sie blieb ratlos zurück.She was left at a loss.
Ohne dich wäre das nicht gegangen.That would not have worked without you.
Er hat es unabsichtlich getan.He did it unintentionally.
Ein zuckerfreier Nachtisch.A sugar-free dessert.
Besonderheiten (2)
-
miss- is a third prefix
<z>Missverständnis, misslingen, misstrauen</z> — <z>miss-</z> says something went wrong rather than that it did not happen. <z>Missverstehen</z> is not failing to understand; it is understanding the wrong thing, which is a different and more useful word.
-
The stress tells you it is a negation
In <z>UNmöglich</z> the prefix carries the main stress, which is unusual in German and is exactly what marks the word as a negation. Where <z>un-</z> is unstressed the word has usually drifted away from negating anything at all, as in <z>Unmenge</z>, an enormous quantity.
Die typisch deutsche Falle
Aufgepasst
Both words are built from Sorge and both describe an absence of worry, but they judge it differently. Sorgenfrei is the good version — nothing to worry about — and sorglos is the bad one — not worrying when one should. Choosing the wrong suffix turns a compliment into a criticism, and neither word looks wrong.
-los is a lack, -frei is a relief.
Jetzt selbst
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