In Spanish, the most straightforward way to make a sentence negative is by placing no before the verb. This simple negation turns any affirmative statement into a negative one without changing the rest of the sentence.
- The word no is placed directly before the conjugated verb.
- If there are two verbs, no precedes the first verb.
- Simple negation is used for performance, existence, and factual statements.
Place 'no' before the verb
Affirmative to Negative
| Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|
| Yo hablo español. | Yo no hablo español. |
| Ella come pizza. | Ella no come pizza. |
| Nosotros vamos al cine. | Nosotros no vamos al cine. |
- Only "no" is required for simple negation.
- The verb remains the same; only "no" is added.
Ella no estudia
Negating Sentences with Two Verbs
When a sentence has two verbs (conjugated + infinitive), place no before the conjugated verb.
| Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|
| Yo quiero comer. | Yo no quiero comer. |
| Ella puede salir. | Ella no puede salir. |
- The second verb (infinitive) stays positive but the whole expression is negated by putting "no" before the first verb.
Before the first (conjugated) verb
Negative Words and Double Negatives
Spanish often uses double negatives. After no, you can add negative words like nada (nothing), nadie (nobody), ninguno (none), nunca (never), or tampoco (neither).
Examples:
| Negative Word | Example |
|---|---|
| Nada | No veo nada. |
| Nadie | No conoce a nadie. |
| Ninguno | No tengo ninguno. |
| Nunca | No voy nunca allí. |
| Tampoco | No quiero ir, y él tampoco. |
- The sentence remains grammatical and natural with two negatives.
- You cannot drop the "no" if you use these negative words in the predicate.
Yes, after 'no' you can add words like 'nada', 'nadie', 'nunca'
Simple negations in Spanish use "no" before the verb, and double negatives are common and correct.
- "No" before the verb is the core of simple negation.
- You can combine "no" with other negative words for emphasis.
- Negation rules adapt for sentences with multiple verbs.
no
Yo no hablo
You put 'no' before the first conjugated verb