Basic Negation in Spanish

Overview

Negation in Spanish is refreshingly simple at its core: place no before the verb, and the sentence becomes negative. At the A1 level, you will use negation constantly, from saying you do not understand (No entiendo) to expressing what you do not have (No tengo). The basic structure is much simpler than in English, where negation often requires auxiliary verbs like "do" or "does."

One of the most distinctive features of Spanish negation is that double negatives are not only acceptable but required. Where English says "I don't see anyone," Spanish says No veo a nadie (literally "I don't see nobody"). This is standard, correct Spanish, and you will need to get comfortable with it from the beginning.

How It Works

Basic negation with "no"

Simply place no directly before the conjugated verb:

Affirmative	Negative
Hablo español.	No hablo español.
Tengo tiempo.	No tengo tiempo.
Ella come carne.	Ella no come carne.
Estamos listos.	No estamos listos.

Answering questions with "no"

When answering a question negatively, you often say no twice: once as the answer and once before the verb:

• ¿Hablas francés? — No, no hablo francés. (No, I don't speak French.)
• ¿Tienes hermanos? — No, no tengo hermanos. (No, I don't have siblings.)

Negative words

Spanish has a set of negative words that pair with no:

Negative word	Meaning	Opposite
nada	nothing	algo (something)
nadie	nobody	alguien (someone)
nunca / jamás	never	siempre (always)
ninguno/a	none, not any	alguno/a (some)
tampoco	neither, not either	también (also)
ni... ni	neither... nor	o... o (either... or)

Double negative structure

When the negative word comes after the verb, no must appear before the verb:

• No veo nada. (I don't see anything.)
• No conozco a nadie. (I don't know anyone.)
• No como nunca carne. (I never eat meat.)

When the negative word comes before the verb, no is not needed:

• Nada es imposible. (Nothing is impossible.)
• Nadie habla. (Nobody speaks.)
• Nunca como carne. (I never eat meat.)

Examples in Context

Spanish	English	Note
No entiendo.	I don't understand.	Simple negation
No tengo dinero.	I don't have money.	No auxiliary needed
No veo a nadie.	I don't see anyone.	Double negative
No como nunca carne.	I never eat meat.	Double negative
Nunca llego tarde.	I never arrive late.	Negative word before verb
No quiero nada.	I don't want anything.	Double negative
Tampoco me gusta.	I don't like it either.	tampoco before verb
No hay ningún problema.	There's no problem.	ningún + noun
Ni Juan ni María vienen.	Neither Juan nor María is coming.	ni... ni
No, no hablo chino.	No, I don't speak Chinese.	Answering a question

Common Mistakes

Forgetting "no" when a negative word follows the verb

• Wrong: Veo a nadie.
• Right: No veo a nadie.
• Why: When the negative word (nadie, nada, nunca) comes after the verb, no must come before the verb. Spanish requires the double negative.

Thinking double negatives are wrong

• Wrong: Avoiding No quiero nada because it sounds like "I don't want nothing"
• Right: No quiero nada is standard and correct
• Why: Unlike English, Spanish double negatives reinforce negation rather than canceling each other out. They are grammatically required.

Adding auxiliary verbs like in English

• Wrong: Yo no hago hablar español. (mimicking "I do not speak")
• Right: Yo no hablo español.
• Why: Spanish does not use auxiliary verbs for negation. Just place no before the main verb.

Misplacing "no"

• Wrong: Hablo no español.
• Right: No hablo español.
• Why: No always goes immediately before the conjugated verb (or before object pronouns that precede the verb).

Practice Tips

• Negate your affirmative sentences. Take any sentence you know and add no: Hablo inglés → No hablo inglés. This builds the habit quickly.
• Practice double negatives. Write pairs: Veo algo → No veo nada, Conozco a alguien → No conozco a nadie.
• Answer questions negatively. When doing conversation practice, deliberately answer with full negative sentences: No, no tengo, no, no quiero, no, nunca.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Regular -AR Verbs
• Next steps: Colloquial Register