Spanish Negation: Super Quick Guide
Check Out The QuizzesThe following are the words most commonly used to make negative statements:
- apenas - hardly, scarcely
- nada - nothing
- nadie - no one
- ni - nor, not even
- no - not
- nunca or jamás - never
Negating a verb in Spanish
The basic patterns are as follows. Note that if a negative word follows a verb, the verb must also be preceded by a negative word: this is the so-called double negative construction:
| Positive | Negative | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Vamos | We're going | No vamos | We aren't going |
| Lo han comprado | they've bought it | No lo han comprado | They haven't bought it |
| Tengo algo | I have something | No tengo nada | I don't have anything |
| Conozco a alguien | I know someone | No conozco a nadie | I don't know anyone |
| Ana o María | Ana or Maria | ni Ana ni María | neither Ana nor Maria |
| Vino con él o con ella | He came with him or with her | No vino ni con él ni con ella | He didn't come with him or with her |
| algún día | some day | ningún día | no day |
| Lo/le vi con alguna chica | I saw him with some girl | No lo/le vi con ninguna chica | I didn't see him with any girl |
| Siempre llueve | It always rains | No llueve nunca | It never rains |
Negatives may be combined:
- Apenas conoce a nadie. He hardly knows anyone.
- Nunca sale con nadie. He never goes out with anyone.
- Nadie compra nada. No one buys anything.
- No te he visto nunca en ninguna parte con ninguna de ellas. I’ve never seen you anywhere with any of those girls/women.
Spanish negative words are also used in comparisons, where English uses anyone, anything, ever.
- Está más guapa que nunca. She’s more attractive than ever.
- Se acuesta antes que nadie. He goes to bed before anyone else.
- Es más impresionante que nada que yo haya vieto hasta ahora. It’s more impressive than anything I’ve seen up until now.
- Ni, or ni siquiera translate not... even:
- Ni (siquiera) pienses en llamarme. Don’t even think about calling me.
- Ni siquiera se acordó del cumpleaños de su mujer. He didn’t even remember his wife’s birthday.
Ninguno may be used as an adjective or a pronoun. Its forms are:
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | ninguno | ningunos |
| Feminine | ninguna | ningunas |
But when it comes before a singular masculine noun it loses its final -o:
- Ningún presidente americano se atrevería a decir eso. No American President would dare to say that.
- Ninguna mujer inteligente defiende el machismo. No intelligent woman defends machismo.
- ¿Libros? No tengo ninguno. Books? I haven't got a single one.
Nomás is much used in Latin America (but not in Spain) to mean just, barely:
- Los vimos en la entrada nomás. We saw them right in the entrance. (Spain en la misma entrada)
- Te llamará nomás llegue a casa. I’ll call you as soon as I get home. (Spain nada más llegue en cuanto llegue...)
No words should be inserted between the auxiliary verb haber and the Past Participle in Compound tenses:
- No lo he hecho nunca. I’ve never done it (not no lo he nunca hecho)
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