Negation in Spanish
How do we negate in Spanish?

Negation Using 'No'
One of the most noticeable differences between English and Spanish negative sentences is that the Spanish form a simple negative sentence by placing ‘no’ in front of the conjugated verb.

A. Regular Form of Negation using ‘No’
In English, negation frequently involves the use of the verb ‘do' as in ‘Brian doesn't swim' or ‘We didn't take anything,' but ‘to do' is never used in Spanish.

In most cases, we can say that simply put the word 'no' in front of whatever verb or verb phrase to negate it!

Example

EXAMPLE	NEGATION
Él habla español. He speaks Spanish.	Él no habla español. He no speaks Spanish.
Nosotros cocinamos. We cook.	Nosotros no cocinamos. We no cook.

The English translated sentence might look weird but this is how it works in Spanish.

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

Example
I don't know her.
No la conozco.

Don't talk to me.
No me hables.


B. ‘No’ to Negate Words other than Verbs
The word ‘no’ is commonly used to negate adjectives or the adverb muy ‘very’:

Example
un tipo no muy rico
a not very rich guy

However, as a complement to other words, ‘no’ is usually placed after them:
– ¿Vendrá pronto? ‘Will he come soon?’
– Mañana no. ‘Not tomorrow.’


Double Negatives
Double and even triple negatives are not unusual in Spanish even though they are usually considered improper in English.

Double-negative Spanish sentences can usually be translated in more than one way, such as "I don't know anybody" and "I know nobody."

It is possible to have one, two, or three negatives in a sentence by following these rules.

A. Adverbs Of Denial
Adverbs typically help us add more details to a sentence (how? when? where? how often?).

Rule
No + Verb + Adverb of Denial + Complement

SPANISH DENIAL ADVERB	ENGLISH EQUIVALENT
no	no – not
ni	nor – neither
nunca	never
tampoco	neither
jamás	either

EXAMPLE
No me gusta ni el baseball ni el fútbol.
I don’t like baseball or football.

¿Sabes nadar? No, nunca nado.
Do you know how to swim? No, I never swim.

No estudio mucho tampoco.
I don't study much either.

No volveré a confiar jamás en ella.
I don't study much either.

TIPS
Do not include the word ‘no’ when a negative adverb appears before the verb.

EXAMPLE
Ella tampoco quiere la cerveza.
She doesn’t want the beer either.

Nunca voy el gimnasio.
I never go to the gym.

B. Indefinite Pronouns
Indefinite pronouns are words that substitute a noun.

Rule
No + verb + indefinite pronoun + complement

INDEFINITE PRONOUN	ENGLISH EQUIVALENT
Nadie	No one – nobody
Nada	Nothing
Ningún – Ninguna – Ninguno	Any – none – anyone

EXAMPLE
No quiero hacer nada.
I want to do nothing.

No hay nadie en este restaurante.
There's nobody in this restaurant.

No hay ninguna opción que me agrade.
There isn’t any option that I like.

TIPS
A double negative Spanish sentence is not formed if the indefinite pronoun is placed before the verb.

EXAMPLE
Nada especial sucedió hoy.
Nothing special happened today.

Ningún estudiante llegó a tiempo.
None of the student arrived on time.