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Spanish Grammar: Negation
Negation Defined
To turn a sentence into the negative the adverb no is placed before the verb. Nothing can come between no and the verb except personal object pronouns.
La calle es muy tranquila. (positive)
The street is very quiet.
La calle no es muy tranquila. (negative)
The street is not very quiet.
Used with a subject pronoun alone, no stands after the pronoun.
"¿Quién ha hecho esto?" "Yo no."
"Who did this?" "Not me."
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MORE negative words
The other common expressions of negation in Spanish follow. Keep in mind that each expression that follows may be used in two ways:
(1) With no before the verb and the other negative after the verb.
No dijo nada.
She didn't say anything.
(2) With the negative before the verb, and no omitted. The second form is more emphatic, and therefore less common.
Nunca ayuda.
He never helps.
Note: The negative words may be used to express negation, without
verb.
¿Qué tiene? Nada.
What does he have? Nothing.
¿Quién llegó? Nadie.
Who arrived? No one.
Nada = nothing, not anything.
No tiene nada que ver con él.
It has nothing to do with him.
Note: After the preposition sin, the word nada means anything.
Se fue sin decir nada.
He went away without saying anything.
Nadie = nobody, no one, not anybody.
Aquí no conozco a nadie más.
I don't know anyone else here.
No lo vio nadie.
Nobody saw him.
Notes:
(1) When nadie is the direct object of a verb, it is preceded by the personal a.
No veo a nadie.
I don't see anybody.
(2) After the preposition sin, the word nadie means anyone/anybody.
Sin hablar con nadie.
Without speaking to anyone.
Nunca (jamás) = never, not ever.
Nunca ayuda. or No ayuda nunca.
He never helps.
No viene nunca.
She never comes.
Jamás he dicho una mentira.
I have never told a lie.
Note: Jamás means ever in an affirmative question.
¿Ha visto Ud. jamás (alguna vez) al alcalde?
Have you ever seen the mayor?
¿Han estado jamás (alguna vez) en el campo?
Have they ever been to the country?
Ninguno = no, none, not any.
Aquí no hay ningún sitio donde se pueda comer.
There is nowhere to eat here.
No funcionaba ninguna de las pilas.
None of the batteries worked.
Note: After the preposition sin, or after a negative verb, alguno may be
used in place of ninguno for emphasis.
El me dejó sin dinero alguno.
He left me without any money (at all).
No tengo fuerza alguna.
I have no strength (whatever).
Tampoco = neither, not . . . either.
Juan no va al campo; no voy
allí tampoco.
John is not going to the country; I'm not going there, either.
Mi prima no sabe la lección; Ana no la sabe tampoco.
My cousin does not know the lesson; Anna does not know it, either.
No . . . ni = neither . . . nor.
No estudia ni trabaja.
He neither studies nor works.
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OTHER NEGATIVE FORMS
Ya no (no . . . más) = no longer, not any more.
Ya no leo el libro.
I am no longer reading the book.
Pablo no trabaja más.
Paul is not working any more.
No . . . sino (no ... más que) = only (nothing but).
No comen sino legumbres.
They eat only (nothing but) vegetables.
No bebo más que agua.
I drink only water.
Ni siquiera = not even.
Ni siquiera su prima puede negarlo.
Not even his cousin can deny it.
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Double Negatives (in English)
Although double negatives occur frequently in many foreign languages, they are not permitted in English. In fact, a double negative in English is considered a very bad error.
I don't have no money with me. (Wrong)
As an English note, remember that the words hardly, scarcely, never,
none, nobody, no, neither and so forth all have a negative connotation.
Therefore, no other negative word may be used in the same sentence with
any of these words.
We weren't hardly able to hear his voice. (Wrong)
We were hardly able to hear his voice. (Correct)
They didn't see nobody in the apartment. (Wrong)
They didn't see anybody in the apartment. (Correct)
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Double Negatives (in Spanish)
In Spanish there is no rule against double negatives and hence they appear very frequently.
No tengo nada que hacer.
I haven't anything to do.
No vi a nadie.
I didn't see anyone.
Such double negatives occur whenever any negative word such as nada, nadie, ninguno, nunca, jamás, tampoco follows the verb.
In all such cases no must then precede the verb. If, however, the
negative word precedes the verb, no is not used.
No vino nadie.
Nobody came.
Nadie vino.
Nobody came.