nooit

Nooit is a Dutch adverb meaning “never” or “not at any time.” It is used to negate a verb and to indicate that something has not occurred and will not occur. In everyday language it can take strong emphasis, as in Ik heb het nooit gezien (I have never seen it) or Het is nooit te laat om te leren (It’s never too late to learn).

Common phrases with nooit reinforce its meaning. Nooit meer means “never again,” and nooit genoeg is used idiomatically to express “never enough.” Nooit is also found in more formal or literary contexts, though it remains widely used in ordinary speech.

In questions Dutch contrasts nooit with ooit (ever). For example, Heb je het ooit gedaan? asks whether something has ever happened, while Ben je nooit geweest? asks whether one has never been somewhere. This distinction helps clarify whether the speaker refers to at least one time in the past or to a complete absence.

Etymology and related terms: nooit is the standard Dutch negation word for never and belongs to the West Germanic language family. Its form is characteristic of Dutch, with cognates existing in related languages but not identical across dialects.

Overall, nooit functions as a straightforward, strong negative adverb that denies the occurrence of an event across time, and it interacts with other temporal words and idioms to express emphasis, negation, and contrast.