【英文版西语语法】Negation and Negative Words in Spanish

 Overview

 

It's very simple to make verb phrases negative in Spanish. In most cases, you simply put the word no in front of whatever verb or verb phrase you want to negate.

 

No me gusta este libro.

I don't like this book.

 

No camines en el césped.

Don’t walk on the grass.

 

Mi hermano no es alto.

My brother is not tall.

 

Never separate direct or indirect object pronouns from the verb. Simply place the negative word in front of the pronoun.

 

Example: No lo conozco.  (I don't know him.)

Negative Words

 

Negation using just no is the most basic type of Spanish verb negation, but you can use other negative words and phrases in combination with no. Examples of some of these words and phrases are given below.

 

Common Negative Words and Phrases

 

Spanish English

nadie

 

nobody

nada

 

nothing

ni

 

nor

ni...ni

 

neither...nor

jamás

 

never

nunca

 

never

tampoco

 

neither, not either

todavía no

 

not yet

ya no

 

no longer

No hay nadie en este club.

There is nobody in this club./There isn't anybody in this club.

 

No quiero comer nada.

I want to eat nothing./I don't want to eat anything.

 

No quiero ni pizza ni pasta.

I want neither pizza nor pasta./I don't want pizza or pasta.

 

¿Comes espinacas? No, no como espinacas nunca.

Do you eat spinach? No, I never eat spinach./I don't ever eat spinach.

 

No hablo mucho tampoco.

I don’t talk a lot either.

 

Todavía no termino.

I'm not done yet.

 

Ya no vive aquí.

He doesn't live here anymore.

 

Double Negatives

Each of the above sentences has two (or more) negative words. Double negation is not only ok in Spanish, it's required when using no with another negative word.

Leave the No Out

 

It's not always necessary to use the word no to negate a sentence. You can also use a different negative word, such as nunca or nadie, in place of no.

 

Nunca compro verduras aquí.

I never buy vegetables here.

 

Tampoco me gustan los tacos de puerco.

I don’t like pork tacos either.

 

Nadie vino.

Nobody came.