ja, nein, doch (A1) – German grammar

Answer ja or nein to normal questions; to say yes to a negative question, use doch: Kommst du nicht? – Doch!

Learn first:Yes/no questions and W-questions

Response matrix for questions

Question type	German question example	Affirmative answer	Contradictory answer	Negative answer
Positive question	Kommst du? (Are you coming?)	Ja (Yes)	–	Nein (No)
Negative question	Kommst du nicht? (Aren't you coming?)	–	Doch (Yes, I am!)	Nein (No, I'm not)

The main points

Yes to a normal question: ja. No: nein.
A question with nicht or kein is a negative question.
Yes to a negative question: doch, not ja.
No to a negative question: nein, like in English.
Doch also makes requests friendly: Komm doch mal her!

Part 1 of 4

When you use it

1
Normal questions: ja or nein
- Kommst du heute? – Ja, ich komme.Are you coming today? – Yes, I am.
- Hast du Zeit? – Nein, leider nicht.Do you have time? – No, I'm afraid not.
Ja means yes, nein means no. Use them to answer a normal question without nicht or kein.
2
Yes to a negative question: doch
- Kommst du nicht mit? – Doch, ich komme mit!Aren't you coming along? – Yes, I am!
- Hast du kein Auto? – Doch, ich habe ein Auto.Don't you have a car? – Yes, I do. I have a car.
The question has nicht or kein, but your answer is yes. Then say doch. It means: yes, I do, or yes, I am.
Tip: Doch also answers a negative statement: Du hast keine Zeit. – Doch, ich habe Zeit!

The forms

Response matrix for questions

First look at the question: does it have nicht or kein? Then choose the word for your answer.

Question type	German question example	Affirmative answer	Contradictory answer	Negative answer
Positive question	Kommst du? (Are you coming?)	Ja (Yes)	–	Nein (No)
Negative question	Kommst du nicht? (Aren't you coming?)	–	Doch (Yes, I am!)	Nein (No, I'm not)

What to notice

Question with nicht or kein, and your answer is yes? Don't say ja. Say doch.

Part 2 of 4

Step by step

1
Look for nicht or kein
Listen to the question. Does it have nicht or kein in it? Then it is a negative question.
- Kommst du nicht?Aren't you coming?
- Hast du kein Auto?Don't you have a car?
2
Decide: yes or no?
Think about the facts, not the form of the question. Are you coming or not?
3
Choose ja, doch or nein
Yes to a normal question: ja. Yes to a negative question: doch. No to any question: nein.
- Kommst du? – Ja.Are you coming? – Yes.
- Kommst du nicht? – Doch.Aren't you coming? – Yes, I am.
4
Add a short sentence
After the answer word, you can add a short sentence to be clear. Put a comma after ja, nein or doch.
- Doch, ich komme mit!Yes, I'm coming along!
- Nein, leider nicht.No, I'm afraid not.

Part 3 of 4

Common mistakes

~~Kommst du nicht? – Ja, ich komme.~~
Kommst du nicht? – Doch, ich komme.
Yes to a question with nicht: say doch, not ja.
~~Hast du keine Zeit? – Ja, ich habe Zeit.~~
Hast du keine Zeit? – Doch, ich habe Zeit.
The question has kein and your answer is yes, so say doch.
~~Hast du Zeit? – Doch, ich habe Zeit.~~
Hast du Zeit? – Ja, ich habe Zeit.
The question has no nicht or kein. A normal yes is ja.

Exceptions

Tap one to open it.

Your answer to a negative question is no? Then say nein, like in English: Kommst du nicht? – Nein = No, I'm not.
- Mag er keinen Fisch? – Nein, er mag keinen Fisch.Doesn't he like fish? – No, he doesn't like fish.
Doch is also a small word inside sentences. In a request, it makes it sound friendly. Only as an answer does it mean yes.
- Komm doch mal her!Do come over here!

Don't mix it up

Ja or doch?

Look at the question. No nicht or kein: answer ja. With nicht or kein: answer doch.

Response word	When to use	Example
Ja	Answering positive questions	Hast du Zeit? – Ja. (Do you have time? – Yes.)
Doch	Answering negative questions affirmatively	Hast du keine Zeit? – Doch! (Don't you have time? – Yes, I do!)

Part 4 of 4

In real life

Invitations (Einladungen)

David and Sarah are planning a dinner in Leipzig. · Tap EN for English.

David
Gehst du heute Abend nicht mit ins Restaurant?
Sarah
Doch, natürlich! Ich habe großen Hunger.
David
Super! Hast du dein Auto nicht dabei? Wir können zusammen fahren.
Sarah
Doch, mein Auto steht direkt vor dem Haus.
David
Perfekt. Dann holen wir noch Markus ab. Mag er keinen Fisch?
Sarah
Nein, er mag keinen Fisch, aber er liebt Pizza!

That's the whole topic.

Next topicSoftening words: mal, denn, doch

Response matrix for questions

The main points

When you use it

Normal questions: ja or nein

Yes to a negative question: doch

The forms

Response matrix for questions

Step by step

Look for nicht or kein

Decide: yes or no?

Choose ja, doch or nein

Add a short sentence

Common mistakes

Exceptions

Don't mix it up

Ja or doch?

In real life

Sources