Negatives are words that will help you to deny or reject something. The most common way to make a negation in Spanish is to add no before a verb. However, in this article, you will learn some of the other popular negative words used in Spanish. You will also learn more about double negatives.
Spanish Negative Words
Rule 1. Here is a list of other negative words commonly used by Spanish speakers:
| Negative Word | Translation |
|---|---|
| no | no |
| nadie | no one |
| nada | nothing |
| jamás | ever |
| nunca | never |
| tampoco | also/neither |
How to Form Negative Sentences
Rule 2. In negative sentences, the usual order (except when there are direct and indirect object pronouns) of the elements is the following :
Rule 3. When there are direct and indirect object pronouns, the negative word always comes before the pronoun.
Double Negatives
Rule 4. Unlike other languages such as English, in Spanish, it is very common and normal to use double negatives. This serves to emphasize the negation.
Rule 5. To create a double negative, simply follow the form below:
Rule 6. It is also common, particularly in spoken settings, to move the negative word to the end of the sentence.
Ni ... ni
Rule 7. The negative ni...ni follows a different pattern. To form a double negative with this combination, you need this structure:
Quiz
1/3Tú ______________ (neither) eres muy honesto.