Where net Goes
To negate the whole sentence, net goes late: Mir hunn de Kuch net giess. To contrast one part with another, put net right before that part and give the alternative with mee: Mir hunn net de Kuch giess, mee d'Zopp.
How It Works
1. Negating the whole sentence
Normally net comes after the verb, after a definite object and after most time words: Mir hunn de Kuch net giess. (We didn't eat the cake.) It comes before an adjective, a place and a verb form at the end.
2. Contrast: net right before the part
When one part of the sentence is wrong and another is right, net moves directly in front of the wrong part:
- Mir hunn net de Kuch giess, mee d'Zopp. (We didn't eat the cake, we ate the soup.)
- Ech fueren net mam Auto, mee mam Zuch. (I'm not going by car, but by train.)
- Net haut, mee muer. (Not today, but tomorrow.)
The correction comes after mee, which is also written ma or mä. Awer also means but, but it does not introduce this correction; see mee and awer.
3. Net at the front
Net and the part it negates can also start the sentence together, often in short replies: Net ech, mee hien. (Not me, him.) Net jiddereen huet dat verstanen. (Not everyone understood that.)
4. Watch the n-rule
Net starts with n, so a word ending in -n keeps its n before it: Ech fueren net, not fuere net. See n-rule.
5. Net or keen?
A noun with en, eng or no article is usually negated with keen: Ech hu keen Auto. See Choosing Net or Keen.
Examples (6)
- Net ech, mee hien.
Not me, him.
A short reply: net stands right before ech.
- Ech fueren net mam Auto, mee mam Zuch.
I'm not going by car, but by train.
Net comes right before the phrase it contrasts. Fueren keeps its n before net.
- Mir hunn net de Kuch giess, mee d'Zopp.
We didn't eat the cake, we ate the soup.
Contrast: net before de Kuch.
- Mir hunn de Kuch net giess.
We didn't eat the cake.
No contrast: net comes after the object and negates the whole sentence.
- Net haut, mee muer.
Not today, but tomorrow.
- Net jiddereen huet dat verstanen.
Not everyone understood that.
Net before jiddereen negates only that word.
Common Mistakes
Leaving net after the part you want to contrast.
Ech fuere mam Auto net, mee mam Zuch.Ech fueren net mam Auto, mee mam Zuch.For a contrast, net goes directly before the phrase it negates, and mee gives the alternative.
Dropping the n of the verb before net.
Ech fuere net mam Auto.Ech fueren net mam Auto.Net starts with n, and the n-rule keeps the n before n, d, h, t and z.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Before Where Net Goes, learn But and However: Mee and Awer.
Related Patterns
- netNegation with Net
The basic positions of net in a negated sentence.
Level 1 - Choosing net or keen
Keen replaces net before nouns with en, eng or no article.
Level 1 - oder / meeOr and but: Oder and Mee
Mee introduces the correct alternative after a contrast with net.
Level 1 - Putting Something Else First
Net with the contrasted word can move to the front of the sentence.
Level 3 - The N-Rule (Eifeler Regel)
Verbs ending in -n keep their n before net.
Level 1
Words in This Pattern
Practice Where net Goes in Bubblegum
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