Negation in Spanish: How to Say No

Learn how to make negative sentences in Spanish - from simple "no" to double negatives and negative words!

Basic Negation: NO

The Simplest Rule: No + Verb

To make any sentence negative, just put no directly before the verb:

Affirmative: Hablo español (I speak Spanish) Negative: No hablo español (I don't speak Spanish)

More examples:

• No como carne (I don't eat meat)
• No vivo en Madrid (I don't live in Madrid)
• No trabajo los domingos (I don't work on Sundays)
• No me gusta el café (I don't like coffee)

Important: "No" Goes BEFORE the Verb

Unlike English, Spanish doesn't use helping verbs like "don't" or "doesn't":

English: I don't speak French Spanish: No hablo francés (literally: "No I speak French")

English: She doesn't work here Spanish: No trabaja aquí (literally: "No she works here")

The pattern is always: Subject + NO + Verb + Rest of sentence

Answering Yes/No Questions

Saying "No"

Question: ¿Hablas español? Answer: No, no hablo español (No, I don't speak Spanish)

Notice: Say "no" twice! First to answer the question, then before the verb.

More examples:

• ¿Vives en Madrid? — No, no vivo en Madrid
• ¿Trabajas hoy? — No, no trabajo hoy
• ¿Te gusta el café? — No, no me gusta

Saying "Yes"

Question: ¿Hablas español? Answer: Sí, hablo español (Yes, I speak Spanish)

Or simply: Sí (Yes)

Negative Words (Palabras Negativas)

Spanish has several negative words that work differently from English:

Double Negatives in Spanish

KEY RULE: Spanish REQUIRES double (or triple!) negatives. This is grammatically correct!

English: I never see anything (single negative) Spanish: No veo nada (double negative - literally "I no see nothing")

The Two Patterns

Pattern 1: No + Verb + Negative Word

• No veo nada (I don't see anything / I see nothing)
• No viene nadie (Nobody is coming)
• No voy nunca (I never go)

Pattern 2: Negative Word + Verb (no "no" needed)

• Nada veo (I see nothing)
• Nadie viene (Nobody comes)
• Nunca voy (I never go)

Both patterns mean the same thing!

Nada - Nothing / Not Anything

With "No"

• No veo nada (I don't see anything)
• No quiero nada (I don't want anything)
• No sé nada (I don't know anything)
• No tengo nada (I don't have anything)
• No como nada (I don't eat anything)

Without "No" (at beginning)

• Nada es imposible (Nothing is impossible)
• Nada me gusta (I don't like anything - literally "Nothing pleases me")

Common phrases:

• De nada (You're welcome - literally "of nothing")
• No pasa nada (It's nothing / No problem)
• No es nada (It's nothing)

Nadie - Nobody / Not Anybody

With "No"

• No veo a nadie (I don't see anybody)
• No viene nadie (Nobody is coming)
• No conozco a nadie (I don't know anybody)
• No está nadie en casa (Nobody is home)
• No llama nadie (Nobody calls)

Without "No" (at beginning)

• Nadie sabe (Nobody knows)
• Nadie viene (Nobody is coming)
• Nadie habla (Nobody speaks)

Note: Use "a" before "nadie" when it's a direct object: "No veo a nadie"

Nunca / Jamás - Never

Nunca (Never)

With "No":

• No voy nunca (I never go)
• No como nunca carne (I never eat meat)
• No llego nunca tarde (I never arrive late)

Without "No" (at beginning):

• Nunca voy (I never go)
• Nunca es tarde (It's never late)
• Nunca lo hago (I never do it)

Common phrases:

• Nunca más (Never again)
• Más vale tarde que nunca (Better late than never)
• Ahora o nunca (Now or never)

Jamás (Never - Stronger/More Emphatic)

Jamás is like "never ever" - stronger than "nunca"

• No lo haré jamás (I will never ever do it)
• Jamás volveré (I'll never return)
• Nunca jamás (Never ever - both together for emphasis!)

Ninguno/a/os/as - None / Not Any / No

Ninguno changes for gender and number:

With "No"

• No tengo ningún libro (I don't have any books)
• No hay ninguna problema (There isn't any problem)
• No veo ninguna película (I don't watch any movies)

Without "No"

• Ninguno de ellos viene (None of them is coming)
• Ninguna es buena (None (feminine) is good)

Note: "Ninguno" usually stays singular even when English uses plural!

English: I don't have any books (plural) Spanish: No tengo ningún libro (singular!)

Tampoco - Neither / Not Either

Tampoco means "neither" or "not either"

Agreeing with negative statements:

A: No me gusta el café B: A mí tampoco (Me neither / I don't like it either)

A: No hablo francés B: Yo tampoco (Me neither / I don't either)

In sentences:

• No quiero ir, y María tampoco (I don't want to go, and María doesn't either)
• No estudio hoy y no trabajo tampoco (I'm not studying today and not working either)

Ni - Neither / Nor / Not Even

Ni... ni... (Neither... nor...)

• No como ni carne ni pescado (I eat neither meat nor fish)
• No hablo ni francés ni alemán (I speak neither French nor German)
• No tengo ni tiempo ni dinero (I have neither time nor money)

Ni siquiera (Not even)

• No tengo ni siquiera un euro (I don't even have one euro)
• Ni siquiera lo intenté (I didn't even try)

Ni (meaning "not even")

• No tengo ni idea (I don't even have an idea / I have no idea)
• No queda ni uno (There isn't even one left / There are none left)

Multiple Negatives in One Sentence

Spanish can have multiple negative words in one sentence:

• No veo nunca a nadie (I never see anybody)
• No tengo nunca nada (I never have anything)
• No quiero hacer nada con nadie nunca (I never want to do anything with anybody)

This is correct Spanish grammar!

Common Negative Expressions

With "No"

With Other Negative Words

Todavía No vs. Ya No

Todavía no (Not yet)

Something hasn't happened but might happen later:

• ¿Has comido? — Todavía no (Have you eaten? — Not yet)
• Todavía no llega (He/She hasn't arrived yet)

Ya no (No longer / Not anymore)

Something was true before but not now:

• Ya no vivo en Madrid (I don't live in Madrid anymore)
• Ya no trabajo allí (I don't work there anymore)
• Ya no me gusta (I don't like it anymore)

Practice Exercises

Exercise 1: Make These Sentences Negative

1. Hablo francés
2. Como carne
3. Vivo en Madrid
4. Trabajo los domingos
5. Me gusta el café

Answers:

1. No hablo francés
2. No como carne
3. No vivo en Madrid
4. No trabajo los domingos
5. No me gusta el café

Exercise 2: Choose Nada, Nadie, or Nunca

1. No veo a ___ (nobody)
2. No quiero ___ (nothing)
3. ___ voy al cine (I never go)
4. No viene ___ (nobody)
5. No sé ___ (nothing)

Answers:

1. No veo a nadie
2. No quiero nada
3. Nunca voy al cine / No voy nunca al cine
4. No viene nadie / Nadie viene
5. No sé nada

Exercise 3: Respond with Tampoco

Agree with these negative statements:

1. No me gusta el café
2. No hablo alemán
3. No como carne
4. No voy a la fiesta
5. No tengo tiempo

Answers:

1. A mí tampoco (Me neither)
2. Yo tampoco (Me neither)
3. Yo tampoco (Me neither)
4. Yo tampoco (Me neither)
5. Yo tampoco (Me neither)

Exercise 4: Translate to Spanish

1. I never eat meat
2. Nobody knows
3. I don't see anything
4. I don't have any books
5. I don't like it either

Answers:

1. Nunca como carne / No como nunca carne
2. Nadie sabe
3. No veo nada
4. No tengo ningún libro
5. A mí tampoco / Yo tampoco

Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Mistake 1: Avoiding Double Negatives

Wrong: ❌ No veo algo (trying to avoid double negative) Right: ✅ No veo nada (I don't see anything)

Remember: Double negatives are REQUIRED in Spanish!

❌ Mistake 2: Putting "No" in Wrong Place

Wrong: ❌ Yo no hablo no francés Right: ✅ Yo no hablo francés

"No" goes directly before the verb, not elsewhere!

❌ Mistake 3: Using "No" with Negative Word at Beginning

Wrong: ❌ No nunca voy (when starting with negative word) Right: ✅ Nunca voy (no "no" needed!) OR: ✅ No voy nunca (if not starting with negative word)

When the negative word comes first, don't use "no"!

❌ Mistake 4: Pluralizing Ninguno

Wrong: ❌ No tengo ningunos libros Right: ✅ No tengo ningún libro (keep singular!)

"Ninguno" is almost always used in singular form.

❌ Mistake 5: Forgetting "A" Before Nadie

Wrong: ❌ No veo nadie Right: ✅ No veo a nadie (I don't see anybody)

Use "a" before "nadie" when it's a direct object!

Practice Dialogue

At a Restaurant

Camarero: ¿Quiere algo de beber? Cliente: No, no quiero nada por ahora, gracias. Camarero: ¿Está esperando a alguien? Cliente: No, no espero a nadie. Estoy solo. Camarero: ¿Ha estado aquí antes? Cliente: No, nunca he estado aquí. Es mi primera vez. Camarero: Bueno, ¿tiene alguna pregunta sobre el menú? Cliente: No, ninguna. Ya estoy listo para pedir.

Translation: Waiter: Would you like something to drink? Customer: No, I don't want anything right now, thanks. Waiter: Are you waiting for someone? Customer: No, I'm not waiting for anybody. I'm alone. Waiter: Have you been here before? Customer: No, I've never been here. It's my first time. Waiter: Well, do you have any questions about the menu? Customer: No, none. I'm ready to order.

Quick Reference: Negative Words

Your Action Plan

Week 1: Basic "No"

• Master "no + verb" pattern
• Practice answering yes/no questions
• Make all your daily sentences negative for practice

Week 2: Nada, Nadie, Nunca

• Learn the three most common negative words
• Practice both word order patterns
• Get comfortable with double negatives

Week 3: Ninguno, Tampoco, Ni

• Learn additional negative words
• Practice "tampoco" for agreement
• Use "ni... ni..." for neither/nor

Week 4: Natural Usage

• Combine all negative words
• Practice common negative expressions
• Use in real conversations

Pro Tip: Spanish speakers use negative expressions A LOT more than English speakers. Don't be afraid of double or triple negatives - they're completely natural!

Practice: Take positive sentences you use every day and make them negative: "Hablo español" → "No hablo francés." This helps you get comfortable with the pattern!

Memory Trick: Think of Spanish negatives like emphasizing your point - "I don't see NO-THING!" "I don't go NEVER!" This actually mirrors how Spanish works!

Remember: Negation in Spanish is actually simpler than in English once you get used to it. No auxiliary verbs like "don't" or "doesn't" - just put "no" before the verb and embrace the double negatives!