Lesson 23: Negation
Como decir no
Say it, then make it yours: No tengo nada y no veo a nadie hoy. Follow with your own answer: Haz negativa: Siempre estudio.
English-speaker check: Spanish negative words work together: No before the verb, then nada/nadie.
Lesson Goal
Say no correctly in Spanish
Learn how to make sentences negative and use words like never, nothing, and nobody.
Say it, then make it yours: No tengo nada y no veo a nadie hoy. Follow with your own answer: Haz negativa: Siempre estudio.
English-speaker check: Spanish negative words work together: No before the verb, then nada/nadie.
Simple Negation: "No"
To make a sentence negative, put no before the verb.
| Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|
| Hablo español. | No hablo español. |
| I speak Spanish. | I don't speak Spanish. |
Say it, then make it yours: No tengo nada y no veo a nadie hoy. Follow with your own answer: Haz negativa: Siempre estudio.
English-speaker check: Spanish negative words work together: No before the verb, then nada/nadie.
Simple Negation Examples
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo no trabajo aquí. | I don't work here. |
| Ella no come carne. | She doesn't eat meat. |
| No vivimos en Barcelona. | We don't live in Barcelona. |
Say it, then make it yours: No tengo nada y no veo a nadie hoy. Follow with your own answer: Haz negativa: Siempre estudio.
English-speaker check: Spanish negative words work together: No before the verb, then nada/nadie.
Practice: Make it Negative
1. Yo hablo francés.
Yo no hablo francés.
2. Tú comes pizza.
Tú no comes pizza.
3. Nosotros vivimos en Madrid.
Nosotros no vivimos en Madrid.
Think before you reveal the answer: Model answer: No tengo nada y no veo a nadie hoy. Now say or write your own answer to: Haz negativa: Siempre estudio.
English-speaker check: Spanish negative words work together: No before the verb, then nada/nadie.
Negation in Questions
"No" goes right before the verb, even in questions.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| ¿No hablas español? | Don't you speak Spanish? |
| ¿No tienes un lápiz? | Don't you have a pencil? |
Say it, then make it yours: No tengo nada y no veo a nadie hoy. Follow with your own answer: Haz negativa: Siempre estudio.
English-speaker check: Spanish negative words work together: No before the verb, then nada/nadie.
Other Negative Words
Spanish has other ways to express negation:
nunca / jamásnever
nadanothing
nadienobody
ningún / ningunonone, not any
ni ... nineither ... nor
Think before you reveal the answer: Model answer: No tengo nada y no veo a nadie hoy. Now say or write your own answer to: Haz negativa: Siempre estudio.
English-speaker check: Spanish negative words work together: No before the verb, then nada/nadie.
Nunca / Jamás
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| No voy nunca al cine. | I never go to the cinema. |
| No como jamás sushi. | I never eat sushi. |
!
Jamás is slightly more emphatic than nunca, but they mean the same thing.
Nada
Nothing
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| No como nada. | I don't eat anything. |
| No tengo nada. | I don't have anything. |
Say it, then make it yours: No tengo nada y no veo a nadie hoy. Follow with your own answer: Haz negativa: Siempre estudio.
English-speaker check: Spanish negative words work together: No before the verb, then nada/nadie.
Nadie
Nobody
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| No conozco a nadie. | I don't know anybody. |
| No hay nadie aquí. | There is nobody here. |
Say it, then make it yours: No tengo nada y no veo a nadie hoy. Follow with your own answer: Haz negativa: Siempre estudio.
English-speaker check: Spanish negative words work together: No before the verb, then nada/nadie.
Ningún / Ninguno
None, not any
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| No tengo ningún hermano. | I don't have any brother. |
| No tengo ninguna hermana. | I don't have any sister. |
| Ninguno de mis amigos va. | None of my friends go. |
*
Ningún is used before masculine singular nouns. Ninguno is used alone or before 'de'.
Ni ... ni
Neither ... nor
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| No quiero ni café ni té. | I want neither coffee nor tea. |
| No hablo ni inglés ni francés. | I speak neither English nor French. |
Say it, then make it yours: No tengo nada y no veo a nadie hoy. Follow with your own answer: Haz negativa: Siempre estudio.
English-speaker check: Spanish negative words work together: No before the verb, then nada/nadie.
Double Negatives are OK!
In Spanish, double negatives are correct and required.
| Spanish | Literal English |
|---|---|
| No voy nunca. | I don't go never. |
| No tengo nada. | I don't have nothing. |
| No conozco a nadie. | I don't know nobody. |
This is NOT a grammar mistake in Spanish—it's required!
Position of Negative Words
Option 1
no + verb + negative word
No voy nunca.
Option 2
Negative word starts the sentence
Nunca voy al cine.
Nada me importa.
!
When a negative word starts the sentence, "no" is omitted.
Common Mistakes
1
Yo no nada veo → No veo nada
Put no before the verb and nada after it.
Put no before the verb and nada after it.
2
Nadie no vino → Nadie vino
When nadie comes first, drop the second no.
When nadie comes first, drop the second no.
3
Tengo no dinero → No tengo dinero
No always goes directly before the verb.
No always goes directly before the verb.
Practice: Double Negatives
1. I never study. (estudiar)
No estudio nunca.
2. I don't have anything. (tener)
No tengo nada.
3. I don't know anybody. (conocer)
No conozco a nadie.
Think before you reveal the answer: Model answer: No tengo nada y no veo a nadie hoy. Now say or write your own answer to: Haz negativa: Siempre estudio.
English-speaker check: Spanish negative words work together: No before the verb, then nada/nadie.
Practice: Change the Position
Rewrite the sentence starting with the negative word.
1. No voy nunca al cine.
Nunca voy al cine.
2. No tengo nada.
Nada tengo.
3. No conozco a nadie.
Nadie conozco.
Key Takeaways
1
Basic negation: no + verb
2
Double negatives are correct in Spanish (no voy nunca)
3
Other negatives: nunca, nada, nadie, ninguno, ni...ni
4
When a negative word starts the sentence, "no" is omitted
5
Ningún before masculine singular; ninguno/a elsewhere
Lesson 23 Complete
You can now say no correctly in Spanish!
Next up: Practice and exercises on negation.
Take-away practice: Say this without looking: No tengo nada y no veo a nadie hoy. For homework, answer in two Spanish sentences: Haz negativa: Siempre estudio.
English-speaker check: Spanish negative words work together: No before the verb, then nada/nadie.
Notes