Negation and Questions in Catalan

In Brief

Put no immediately before the verb to make a basic Catalan sentence negative: Parlo català becomes No parlo català. A yes/no question normally keeps the statement's word order and is marked by rising intonation in speech and ? in writing: Parles català? After the verb, words such as res, mai, ningú, and cap require no: No ve mai means “He or she never comes.”

Overview

Negatives and questions let you move beyond simple statements. At A1, the essential rules are pleasantly direct: no goes before the verb, and a yes/no question usually needs no equivalent of English do or does. The verb already carries information about the subject (the person doing or experiencing something), so Parles català? can express “Do you speak Catalan?” without an extra word.

Catalan also uses negative concord: two negative-looking words can work together to express one negation. This is not the same as the “double negative” that is discouraged in standard English. In No tinc res, both no and res belong to the same negative structure, and the natural English translation is “I don't have anything,” not “I have nothing” with the negatives cancelling each other out.

The beginner rules cover most everyday needs. Later, you will meet variations involving word order, negative words placed before the verb, question particles, and differences of emphasis. Those details are separated below so that you can first master the reliable core pattern.

How It Works

Basic negation with no

Place no directly before the conjugated verb (the verb form that changes for person or tense).

Statement	Negative	Meaning
Parlo francès.	No parlo francès.	I don't speak French.
És a casa.	No és a casa.	He/she is not at home.
Tenim temps.	No tenim temps.	We don't have time.

Object pronouns—short words such as el (“it/him”), la (“it/her”), or ho (“it”)—stand between no and the verb:

Pattern	Example	Meaning
no + verb	No vinc.	I'm not coming.
no + object pronoun + verb	No ho sé.	I don't know it / I don't know.
no + reflexive pronoun + verb	No em llevo d'hora.	I don't get up early.

With a compound verb form, no goes before the conjugated auxiliary (the helping verb): No he menjat (“I haven't eaten”). With a modal verb plus an infinitive (the dictionary form of a verb), it goes before the modal: No puc venir (“I can't come”).

Yes/no questions

A yes/no question is one that can be answered with sí or no. In Catalan, the simplest form generally has the same order as a statement:

Statement	Question
Parles català.	Parles català?
La botiga està oberta.	La botiga està oberta?
Teniu una reserva.	Teniu una reserva?

In speech, intonation tells the listener that the sentence is a question. In writing, use a final question mark. Standard Catalan does not use an opening question mark in ordinary writing.

English inserts do/does/did in many questions, but Catalan does not. Do not try to translate the English helper word. Catalan can also leave out the subject pronoun because the verb ending often identifies the person: Tens gana? literally has no separate word for “you,” but means “Are you hungry?”

A stated subject can follow the verb, particularly when it identifies or contrasts the person concerned:

• Vens tu? — Are you coming?
• Vindrà també la Marta? — Is Marta coming too?

This is possible inversion (placing the subject after the verb), not a compulsory question formula. La Marta vindrà també? is also grammatical; context and emphasis influence the choice.

Negative answers and negative questions

A short negative answer uses no. A complete answer repeats no before the verb:

• Vens? — No. — Are you coming? — No.
• Vens? — No, no vinc. — Are you coming? — No, I'm not coming.

A negative question keeps the same placement:

• No tens gana? — Aren't you hungry?
• No és aquí? — Isn't he/she here?

Like English negative questions, these often suggest that the speaker expected the answer to be yes, or is surprised. A neutral information request is usually better as Tens gana?

No...res, no...mai, no...ningú, and no...cap

When these words come after the verb, use no before the verb. Together they express one negative meaning.

Catalan pattern	Usual English equivalent	Example
no + verb + res	not anything; nothing	No entenc res. — I don't understand anything.
no + verb + mai	never; not ever	No hi vaig mai. — I never go there.
no + verb + ningú	nobody; not anybody	No coneixem ningú. — We don't know anybody.
no + verb + cap + singular noun	no; not any	No tinc cap pregunta. — I don't have any questions.

Res refers to things, ningú to people, and mai to time or frequency. Cap is a determiner (a word placed with a noun) and is normally followed by a singular countable noun: cap problema, cap persona, cap llibre. Although English often uses a plural after “any,” Catalan normally says No tinc cap pregunta, with singular pregunta.

Cap can also stand alone when the noun is already understood:

• Tens germans? — No, no en tinc cap. — Do you have any siblings? — No, I don't have any.

The small pronoun en refers back to the omitted noun; mastering en belongs to a later stage, but the complete expression is common enough to recognise now.

Examples in Context

Catalan	English	Note
No parlo francès.	I don't speak French.	Basic no + verb
No estem cansats.	We aren't tired.	Negation with estar
No ho recordo.	I don't remember it.	Object pronoun between no and the verb
No podem venir demà.	We can't come tomorrow.	No before a modal verb
Parles català?	Do you speak Catalan?	No equivalent of English do
Està oberta la biblioteca?	Is the library open?	Subject after the verb
Tens una reserva?	Do you have a reservation?	Same order as a statement
Vens tu o ve la Laia?	Are you coming, or is Laia coming?	Stated subjects create contrast
No tens fred?	Aren't you cold?	Negative question, often expressing expectation
No tinc res.	I don't have anything.	res after the verb requires no
No ve mai els dilluns.	He/she never comes on Mondays.	mai expresses frequency
No hi ha ningú a casa.	There is nobody at home.	ningú refers to people
No necessitem cap document.	We don't need any document.	cap with a singular noun
No has vist mai la neu?	Have you never seen snow?	Negative question with mai
Has vist mai la neu?	Have you ever seen snow?	Without no, mai can mean “ever” in a question

Common Mistakes

Adding an English-style helper verb

• Wrong: Fas tu parles català?
• Right: Parles català?
• Why: Catalan does not use an equivalent of English do to build ordinary questions. Use the conjugated verb and question intonation.

Putting no after the verb

• Wrong: Parlo no francès.
• Right: No parlo francès.
• Why: The normal position of negative no is immediately before the verb, or before any object pronoun attached to that verb group.

Omitting no when the negative word follows the verb

• Wrong: Tinc res. (intended: “I don't have anything.”)
• Right: No tinc res.
• Why: Postverbal res, mai, ningú, and cap need the preverbal no in a negative sentence.

Treating negative concord as cancellation

• Wrong interpretation: No ve ningú = “Nobody doesn't come.”
• Right interpretation: No ve ningú = “Nobody comes” / “No one is coming.”
• Why: Catalan negative words reinforce one another; they do not cancel each other as a literal English reading might suggest.

Using a plural noun after cap

• Wrong: No tinc cap preguntes.
• Right: No tinc cap pregunta.
• Why: Negative cap normally accompanies a singular countable noun, even where English naturally says “any questions.”

Assuming mai always means “never” by itself

• Wrong interpretation: Has estat mai a Girona? = “Have you never been to Girona?”
• Right interpretation: Has estat mai a Girona? = “Have you ever been to Girona?”
• Why: In questions and certain non-negative contexts, mai can mean “ever.” The combination no...mai gives the clear meaning “never.”

Usage Notes

In everyday conversation, intonation does much of the work in yes/no questions. The written question mark represents that spoken contour, but word order may remain unchanged. Because Catalan commonly omits subject pronouns, a short question such as Vens? sounds complete and natural.

To check or invite agreement, speakers often add oi?, no?, or veritat?:

• Demà és festa, oi? — Tomorrow is a holiday, right?
• Vindràs, no? — You'll come, won't you?
• És aquí, veritat? — It's here, isn't it?

The exact tone matters: these forms can sound like a genuine check, a reminder, or a request for confirmation. For a neutral question, use the plain form.

Catalan also has gens, used for “not at all” or “not any” with uncountable ideas and qualities: No tinc gens de son (“I'm not sleepy at all”) and No és gens fàcil (“It isn't at all easy”). It contrasts with cap, which normally counts individual items: No tinc cap cadira (“I don't have any chairs”).

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to produce all of the following at A1, but you will encounter it in natural Catalan.

A negative word before the verb

When ningú, res, or mai is moved before the verb for focus, Catalan may retain no:

• Ningú no ho sap. — Nobody knows it.
• Res no és impossible. — Nothing is impossible.
• Mai no arriba d'hora. — He/she never arrives early.

In modern usage, especially in speech, the second negative may be omitted in many such preverbal structures: Ningú ho sap; Res és impossible; Mai arriba d'hora. Preferences vary with register and variety. The safest beginner pattern is still no + verb + negative word: No ho sap ningú; No hi ha res impossible; No arriba mai d'hora. More advanced learners should learn to recognise both preverbal patterns rather than applying the postverbal rule mechanically.

The question particle que

Conversational Catalan can introduce a yes/no question with unstressed que, especially when prompting, checking, or reacting:

• Que tens gana? — Are you hungry?
• Que no vens? — Aren't you coming?

This que has no accent and is not the question word què (“what”), as in Què vols? (“What do you want?”). Plain Tens gana? remains neutral and fully sufficient.

Emphatic pas and other negative combinations

In some varieties and styles, pas can strengthen or qualify a negation: No és pas fàcil (“It certainly isn't easy” / “It isn't easy, you know”). Its force depends on context and region, so it is better to recognise it before trying to use it.

Negative concord also extends to combinations with ni (“nor/not even”) and tampoc (“neither/either”):

• No menja carn ni peix. — He/she eats neither meat nor fish.
• Jo tampoc no ho sé. — I don't know either.

These are part of the broader Catalan negative system, but the four core A1 patterns remain no...res, no...mai, no...ningú, and no...cap.

Practice Tips

1. Transform statements in pairs. Say Tinc temps → No tinc temps → Tens temps? Repeat with five familiar verbs. This trains both the position of no and question intonation without introducing new vocabulary.
2. Sort negative words by meaning. Make four headings—things (res), time (mai), people (ningú), and countable nouns (cap)—then create one sentence for each. Keep the negative word after the verb until the basic pattern feels automatic.
3. Listen for the missing English helper. When hearing Catalan dialogue, pause after short questions such as Vols cafè? or Vens demà? Repeat them aloud with rising intonation. Resist inserting a word corresponding to do.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Ser and Estar — practise negation and questions with two essential Catalan verbs.
• Next step: Question Words — build information questions with què, qui, on, quan, com, and other interrogative words.