Negation: no, nunca, nada, nadie

A1

Grammar path · Lesson 18 of 86 · Stage A1 · Questions, negatives and plans

You need negation from day one: to say you don't understand, don't want something, or never do something. The core rule is simple: put no directly before the verb, as in No hablo inglés. With nunca, nada and nadie, Spanish uses a double negative, no + verb + nada/nadie/nunca, as in No veo nada, and this is completely correct. You can also put nunca or nadie before the verb and drop no: Nunca como carne. Don't mix these up with the positive words algo and alguien: in a negative sentence, algo becomes nada and alguien becomes nadie.

Practise this lesson · 10 sentences

Form

Affirmativesujeto + verbo
Hablo inglés.I speak English.
Negative with nono + verbo
No hablo inglés.I don't speak English.
Double negativeno + verbo + nada / nadie / nunca
No veo nada.I don't see anything.
Negative word before the verbnunca / nadie + verbo
Nunca como carne.I never eat meat.

When to use it

Saying you don't do something or refusing

Just put no right before the conjugated verb. There is no helper verb like English 'don't'.

No entiendo la pregunta.I don't understand the question.
Mi hermano no quiere venir.My brother doesn't want to come.

Talking about things that never happen

Nunca can go before the verb, or after it when no comes first. Both orders sound natural.

Nunca llego tarde al trabajo.I'm never late for work.
Ella no bebe café nunca.She never drinks coffee.

Saying nothing or nobody

Nada means nothing and nadie means nobody. When they come after the verb, no must come before it.

No compré nada en el mercado.I didn't buy anything at the market.
Nadie me llamó ayer.Nobody called me yesterday.

Negative words

no + verbno hablo inglés
nevernunca como carne · no como carne nunca
nothingno tengo nada
nobodyno viene nadie · nadie viene
neither / not eitheryo tampoco · no lo sé tampoco

Signal words

nonuncanadanadietampocojamás

Don't confuse it with

Indefinite words: algo, alguien, nadie, ninguno

When you turn an affirmative sentence negative, swap the indefinite word for its negative partner: algo becomes nada, alguien becomes nadie, siempre becomes nunca. Say Tengo algo but No tengo nada, never No tengo algo.

Frequently asked questions

Is No veo nada wrong because it has two negatives?

No, it is correct. In Spanish the double negative is required when nada, nadie or nunca come after the verb.

When can I leave out no?

When nunca or nadie comes before the verb, you drop no: Nunca como carne, Nadie sabe la respuesta.

Where does no go when there is a pronoun like lo or me?

No goes before the pronoun, and the pronoun sits right before the verb: No lo sé, No me gusta.

Why do answers have two no, as in No, no quiero?

The first no is the answer 'no', and the second one negates the verb. This is a completely normal way to answer.

What is the difference between nada and nadie?

Nada is for things: nothing. Nadie is for people: nobody.

More in Sentences and connectors

Question words: qué, dónde, cuándo…A1Real conditions: si + presentB1Relative clauses: que, quien, dondeB1Reported speech: dice que…B1Linking words: pero, sin embargo, por esoB1Unreal conditions: si + imperfect subjunctiveB2Past unreal conditions: si hubiera…B2Reported speech in the past: dijo que…B2Relative clauses with prepositions: en el que, con quienB2Cause and concession: como, ya que, a pesar de queB2Sequence of tensesC1Other conditional forms: a no ser que, de + infinitive, con tal de queC1Result and purpose: de modo que, a fin de queC1
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