Basic Negation in Portuguese

In Brief

Put não directly before the verb to make a basic Portuguese sentence negative: Entendo becomes Não entendo (“I don’t understand”). When a word such as nada, ninguém or nunca comes after the verb, Portuguese normally keeps não: Não vi ninguém (“I didn’t see anyone”). If the negative word comes before the verb, it can normally negate the sentence by itself: Ninguém veio (“Nobody came”).

Overview

Negation lets you say that something is not true, does not happen or does not exist. In Portuguese, the essential word is não, which can mean “not,” “don’t,” “doesn’t,” “didn’t” or simply “no,” depending on the sentence. Unlike English, Portuguese does not need a separate auxiliary verb such as “do” to form an ordinary negative: you normally add não without changing the verb.

This is an A1 structure and one of the most useful patterns to learn early. It works with regular and irregular verbs, different subjects and different tenses: não falo (“I don’t speak”), não tenho (“I don’t have”), não fui (“I didn’t go”). The beginner rule is therefore very short: não + verb.

Portuguese also uses negative concord (several negative words working together to express one negation). Combinations such as não... nada and não... ninguém are standard grammar, not a logical “double negative” that turns the sentence positive. Word order matters, however: a negative expression after the verb generally needs an earlier não or another negative element.

How It Works

The basic pattern: não before the verb

The neutral position of não is immediately before the conjugated verb (the verb form that shows tense and person).

Pattern	Portuguese	English
subject + não + verb	Eu não trabalho hoje.	I’m not working today.
omitted subject + não + verb	Não entendo.	I don’t understand.
subject + não + verb + complement	A Ana não bebe café.	Ana doesn’t drink coffee.

Portuguese often leaves out the subject pronoun when the verb or context makes the subject clear. That does not affect negation: both Eu não sei and Não sei mean “I don’t know.”

English changes “I understand” into “I do not understand,” but Portuguese does not add an equivalent of “do.” Avoid trying to translate each English component separately:

• Falo português. — “I speak Portuguese.”
• Não falo português. — “I don’t speak Portuguese.”

The same placement works with the major tense forms:

Time or form	Portuguese	English
Present	Não trabalho aos domingos.	I don’t work on Sundays.
Completed past	Não trabalhei ontem.	I didn’t work yesterday.
Imperfect past	Não trabalhava aqui.	I didn’t use to work here. / I wasn’t working here.
Future expression	Não vou trabalhar amanhã.	I’m not going to work tomorrow.
Compound form	Não tenho trabalhado muito.	I haven’t been working much.

With two-verb expressions, não normally comes before the conjugated verb and negates the whole verb phrase: Não posso entrar (“I can’t come in”), Não quero sair (“I don’t want to go out”). It can instead stand before an infinitive (the basic verb form, such as falar) when the intended meaning is specifically “not to”: É melhor não esperar (“It is better not to wait”).

Pronouns stay close to the verb

An object pronoun is a short word such as me, te or se that stands for a person or thing affected by the action. In a negative clause, não comes before the pronoun and verb:

• Não me lembro. — “I don’t remember.”
• Ela não se chama Marta. — “Her name isn’t Marta.”
• Não te posso ajudar. — “I can’t help you.”

This order is especially important in European Portuguese, where the same pronoun may follow an affirmative verb: Lembro-me but Não me lembro. Pronoun placement has wider regional and grammatical variation, but não + pronoun + verb is a reliable negative pattern.

Negative words after the verb

The most useful negative expressions include:

Portuguese form	Basic meaning	Portuguese	English
nada	nothing; anything (under negation)	Não comprei nada.	I didn’t buy anything.
ninguém	nobody; anybody (under negation)	Não conheço ninguém aqui.	I don’t know anyone here.
nunca	never; ever (under negation)	Não vou lá nunca.	I never go there.
nenhum / nenhuma	no; not any	Não tenho nenhuma dúvida.	I have no doubts.
nem	nor; not even	Não tenho carro nem bicicleta.	I have neither a car nor a bicycle.

When these expressions occur after the verb, the clause normally also contains não before the verb. English often uses a non-negative-looking word such as “anything” or “anyone” in this position, but Portuguese uses the negative word:

• Não vejo ninguém. — literally “I don’t see nobody,” but naturally “I don’t see anybody.”
• Não quero nada. — “I don’t want anything.”

These sentences contain one semantic negation: the words agree in negative meaning. Standard Portuguese does not interpret them as positive.

Negative words before the verb

When nada, ninguém, nunca or a similar negative expression comes before the verb, it normally supplies the negation itself. Do not add neutral não as well.

Portuguese	English	Note
Ninguém telefonou.	Nobody called.	Ninguém comes before the verb.
Nada aconteceu.	Nothing happened.	Nada is the subject.
Nunca como carne.	I never eat meat.	Preverbal nunca negates by itself.
Nenhum aluno respondeu.	No student answered.	Nenhum aluno comes before the verb.

Compare Ninguém veio with Não veio ninguém. Both can mean “Nobody came,” though the second order may fit contexts where the absence is being reported or emphasized. The key grammatical contrast is position: negative word + verb, but não + verb + negative word.

Answering with não

As a complete answer, não means “no”:

• Falaste com a Rita? — Não. — “Did you speak to Rita? — No.”
• Queres café? — Não, obrigado/obrigada. — “Would you like coffee? — No, thank you.”

To deny the statement explicitly, repeat não before the verb: Não, não falei com ela (“No, I didn’t speak to her”). The first não answers the question; the second negates the verb.

Examples in Context

Portuguese	English	Note
Não entendo.	I don’t understand.	Basic não + verb.
Não tenho dinheiro.	I don’t have any money.	English “any” does not require a separate Portuguese word here.
A loja não abre aos domingos.	The shop doesn’t open on Sundays.	The subject can come before não.
Hoje não posso sair.	I can’t go out today.	A time expression may come first.
Não queremos esperar mais.	We don’t want to wait any longer.	Não precedes the conjugated verb.
Ela não se lembra do endereço.	She doesn’t remember the address.	Não comes before the object pronoun se.
Não vejo ninguém.	I don’t see anyone.	Postverbal ninguém requires negation before the verb.
Não há nada no frigorífico.	There is nothing in the fridge.	Standard negative concord.
Não comprei nenhum livro.	I didn’t buy any books.	Nenhum agrees with singular livro.
Nunca como carne.	I never eat meat.	Preverbal nunca negates by itself.
Ninguém sabe a resposta.	Nobody knows the answer.	Ninguém is the subject.
Nada mudou.	Nothing changed.	Nada stands before the verb.
Não falei com a Marta nem com o Rui.	I spoke with neither Marta nor Rui.	Nem adds a second negative item.
É melhor não chegar tarde.	It is better not to arrive late.	Não directly negates the infinitive.
Não, hoje não trabalho.	No, I’m not working today.	Answer não plus clause negation.

Common Mistakes

Putting não after the verb

• Wrong: Entendo não.
• Right: Não entendo.
• Why: In a neutral negative sentence, não belongs immediately before the verb. Postverbal não exists in marked conversational patterns, but it is not the beginner default.

Copying English “do not” word for word

• Wrong: Não faço entender.
• Right: Não entendo.
• Why: Portuguese does not use fazer (“to do/make”) as an auxiliary to form ordinary negatives. Keep the original conjugated verb and place não before it.

Leaving postverbal ninguém or nada unsupported

• Wrong: Vejo ninguém. (intended: “I don’t see anyone.”)
• Right: Não vejo ninguém.
• Why: A negative word after the verb does not normally negate the clause alone. Add não before the verb.

Adding não after a preverbal negative word

• Wrong in neutral standard usage: Ninguém não veio.
• Right: Ninguém veio.
• Why: Preverbal ninguém already makes the clause negative. Some regional or emphatic speech may show additional negation, but learners should use the standard pattern.

Treating negative concord as a positive

• Mistaken reading: Não fiz nada = “I did something.”
• Correct reading: Não fiz nada = “I didn’t do anything.”
• Why: Portuguese negative words reinforce one another. English speakers should translate the meaning naturally rather than count negative words.

Using não with nunca in the wrong order

• Awkward as a neutral sentence: Não nunca como carne.
• Right: Nunca como carne. or Não como carne nunca.
• Why: Preverbal nunca normally replaces não. If nunca follows the verb, não provides the preverbal negation.

Usage Notes

What não can negate

Immediately before a verb, não generally denies the clause: O Pedro não comprou o carro (“Pedro did not buy the car”). Context and spoken stress can narrow the contrast: perhaps he rented it, or perhaps someone else bought it. Portuguese can also place não before an infinitive, adjective or other expression: não fumar (“no smoking/not to smoke”), uma resposta não oficial (“an unofficial answer”), não muito longe (“not very far”).

Negative words are not interchangeable

Nada refers to things, while ninguém refers to people. Nenhum/nenhuma normally accompanies or replaces a countable noun and agrees in gender: nenhum problema, nenhuma pergunta. Nunca concerns time or frequency. Choosing the right word is more useful than trying to match English “any” mechanically.

European and Brazilian Portuguese

The central rules in this article apply to both major varieties. Everyday vocabulary may differ—European Portuguese commonly uses frigorífico, while Brazilian Portuguese commonly uses geladeira—but Não há nada no frigorífico/na geladeira has the same negative structure. Pronoun placement and some conversational patterns vary more noticeably, yet não before a pronoun and verb, as in não me lembro, is standard in both.

In speech, não may be pronounced with reduced sounds, especially in fast conversation. Keep the full spelling não in writing. Do not omit its tilde: nao is a spelling error.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master the following details at A1, but they explain forms you will meet later.

Repeated negation in conversation

Speakers may repeat não for correction, insistence or emphasis: Não, eu não disse isso (“No, I didn’t say that”). Brazilian conversation also commonly uses a final não in patterns such as Quero não or Vou não, depending on region and context. These are marked colloquial structures; não + verb remains the safest neutral form in both writing and speech.

A final não can also reinforce a complete negative clause: Não quero, não (“I really don’t want to / No, I don’t”). This does not reverse the meaning. It adds pragmatic force—that is, it changes how firmly or contrastively the message is presented.

Several negative expressions in one clause

More than two negative elements can occur naturally:

• Ninguém nunca me disse nada. — “Nobody ever told me anything.”
• Não contei nada a ninguém. — “I didn’t tell anyone anything.”
• Nunca falei com ninguém sobre isso. — “I have never spoken to anyone about that.”

The position rule still applies. In the first example, preverbal ninguém establishes negation, so no não is needed. In the other two, não or preverbal nunca establishes it before the verb, while later negative words agree with it.

Scope can change the message

The scope of negation is the part of the message that is denied. Compare:

• Não quero sair. — “I don’t want to go out.”
• Quero não sair. — “I want not to go out / I want to stay in.”

The first denies wanting; the second, less common and more deliberate, says that not going out is what the speaker wants. Portuguese often chooses a clearer rephrasing instead, such as Quero ficar em casa (“I want to stay home”).

Formal and emphatic alternatives

Postnominal algum can acquire a negative meaning in formal or emphatic style: Não tenho dúvida alguma (“I have no doubt whatsoever”). This is not the ordinary positive meaning of preverbal algum in Tenho algumas dúvidas (“I have some doubts”). You will also see de modo algum (“not at all/by no means”) and de maneira nenhuma (“no way/not at all”): Isso não é de modo algum fácil (“That is by no means easy”).

Practice Tips

1. Transform short affirmative sentences. Take ten familiar verbs and add não without changing the verb: Trabalho aqui → Não trabalho aqui; Ela tem tempo → Ela não tem tempo. This breaks the English habit of adding “do.”
2. Practice the two word orders as pairs. Say Ninguém veio / Não veio ninguém, Nada aconteceu / Não aconteceu nada, and Nunca vou lá / Não vou lá nunca. Notice when não appears and when the preverbal negative word replaces it.
3. Sort negative words by meaning. Make four small groups for people (ninguém), things (nada), time (nunca) and nouns (nenhum/nenhuma). Build one realistic sentence with each group, then listen for the same patterns in Portuguese conversations.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Regular -AR Verbs — supplies the basic verb forms that não negates.
• Advanced extension: Colloquial Register — explores informal speech, including emphatic and regionally marked negative patterns.