Negatives

Negatives in Spanish turn an idea on its head and follow clear patterns so meaning stays sharp. This guide goes over the key negative words and how to use them.

Basic Negation

The simplest way to make a sentence negative is to put no before the verb. This blocks the action and sets the tone for any additional negatives.

Negative Words

Negative words like nunca, nadie, nada and ningún each cancel out different things: time, people, things, or amounts. They sometimes pair with no and sometimes stand alone.

Spanish Example	English Translation
🌙 No veo nada en la oscuridad.	I see nothing in the darkness.
🚪 Nunca abro la puerta de noche.	I never open the door at night.
👤 Nadie está en la calle.	No one is on the street.
🌃 Tampoco hubo luces en la plaza.	There were no lights in the square either.
🧳 No dejé mi maleta en ningún lado.	I didn’t leave my suitcase anywhere.

Double Negatives

Double negatives are normal in Spanish and often required to keep the sentence truly negative. When a negative word follows the verb, no usually stays in place to reinforce the negation.

Negatives That Require "No"

Some negative expressions need no before the verb to sound natural and grammatically correct. Leaving out no in these cases can change the meaning or make the sentence ungrammatical.

Negatives That Do Not Use "No"

Other negative words stand alone without no, especially when they begin the sentence or when the negative word is the subject. These sentences remain fully negative without the extra marker.

Negative Expressions

Negative expressions combine negative words with prepositions or other particles to add nuance, like nunca más, nadie en absoluto or ningún tipo de. They strengthen or specify the negation.

Spanish Example	English Translation
⚠️ Cuidado, no funciona la señal del faro.	Be careful, the lighthouse signal isn’t working.
🔕 Jamás responden en el radio del barco.	They never respond on the ship’s radio.
🌫️ Tampoco se ven las luces del puerto.	The lights of the port can’t be seen either.
🛑 Nunca navegamos sin mapas.	We never sail without charts.
📵 Hoy no puedo usar la radio.	Today I can’t use the radio.

Summary

Negation in Spanish pivots on whether no precedes the verb and which negative word you use. Double negatives are natural and keep the meaning clear, so follow the pattern of placing no and negatives according to the type of word and emphasis you want.

Last updated: Sun Sep 14, 2025