Lesson goal
In this lesson, the student reinforces the position of ikke in the main clause and learns to build simple negative statements and questions. In addition, frequency adverbs and adjectives that often appear next to negation are introduced.
New vocabulary
ikke — not
aldri — never
alltid — always
snart — soon
ferdig — ready, finished
enig — agree, in agreement
mulig — possible, possibly
interessert — interested
Useful phrases
Jeg er ikke ferdig. — I am not finished yet.
Hun kommer ikke i dag. — She is not coming today.
Er du ikke enig? — Do you not agree?
Vi jobber ikke hjemme nå. — We are not working at home now.
Jeg er ikke interessert. — I am not interested.
Det er ikke mulig. — It is not possible.
Han er ikke alltid hjemme. — He is not always at home.
Vi kommer ikke snart. — We are not coming soon.
Grammar
In the main clause, ikke usually comes after the finite verb. If the sentence has a copular verb, the negation is placed after the form er: Jeg er ikke ferdig. If the predicate is expressed by a regular verb in the present tense, ikke also comes after it: Hun kommer ikke i dag. If another element, not the subject, stands in the first position, the V2 rule is preserved in the main clause: the finite verb remains in second position, and ikke comes after it: I dag kommer hun ikke. In questions with inversion, the verb comes first, then the subject, then ikke: Er du ikke enig? It is important not to place ikke before the finite verb in the main clause.
Examples
Jeg er ikke ferdig. — I am not finished yet.
Hun kommer ikke i dag. — She is not coming today.
Vi jobber ikke hjemme nå. — We are not working at home now.
Han er ikke interessert i politikk. — He is not interested in politics.
Det er ikke mulig nå. — It is not possible now.
Jeg er ikke alltid enig. — I do not always agree.
De kommer ikke snart. — They are not coming soon.
I dag er jeg ikke hjemme. — Today I am not at home.
Nå jobber vi ikke sammen. — We are not working together now.
Er du ikke ferdig? — Are you not finished yet?
Kommer hun ikke snart? — Is she not coming soon?
Er dere ikke interessert? — Are you not interested?