The Animated Book
of SpanishGrammar Reference

Spanish Negatives

Adapted from The Animated Book of Spanish, an interactive Spanish grammar book.

To make a sentence negative in Spanish, put no right before the verb. Spanish also has negative words like nada (nothing) and nunca (never), and unlike English, it happily uses two negatives in one sentence.
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No before the verb

No goes directly before the verb. Spanish doesn't need a helper word like English do or does: just add no.

  • No hablo inglés.

    I don’t speak English.

  • Mi hermano no come carne.

    My brother doesn’t eat meat.

  • No vivimos aquí.

    We don’t live here.

No with pronouns

If the verb has object or reflexive pronouns in front of it, no goes before them. Nothing comes between the pronouns and the verb.

  • No lo sé.

    I don’t know.

  • No me gusta el café.

    I don’t like coffee.

  • Mis hijos no se levantan temprano.

    My kids don’t get up early.

The negative words

Most negative words have an affirmative partner. In a negative sentence, use the negative one: No quiero nada, not No quiero algo.

  • algosomething
    ,
    nadanothing, anything
  • alguiensomeone
    ,
    nadieno one, anyone
  • siemprealways
    ,
    nunca, jamásnever, ever
  • algunosome, any
    ,
    ningunonone, not any
  • tambiénalso, too
    ,
    tampoconeither, either
  • o… oeither… or
    ,
    ni… nineither… nor

Before or after the verb

A negative word can go before or after the verb. If it comes after the verb, you still need no before the verb. That's a double negative, and in Spanish it's completely correct. If it comes before the verb, leave out no.

  1. After the verb: no + verb + word
    No viene nunca.
    Before the verb: word + verb
    Nunca viene.

    He never comes.

  2. After the verb: no + verb + word
    No llamó nadie.
    Before the verb: word + verb
    Nadie llamó.

    No one called.

  3. After the verb: no + verb + word
    No me gusta tampoco.
    Before the verb: word + verb
    Tampoco me gusta.

    I don’t like it either.

You can even stack three or more negatives. Each one keeps the sentence negative:

  • No le dije nada a nadie.

    I didn’t say anything to anyone.

  • Nunca hago nada los domingos.

    I never do anything on Sundays.

Ninguno, ninguna, and ningún

Ninguno agrees with the noun it goes with. Like bueno and primero, it shortens to ningún before a masculine singular noun, and gains an accent when it does.

  • ningunonone (masc.)
    ,
    ningún problemano problem
  • ningunanone (fem.)
    ,
    ninguna ideano idea

  • No tengo ningún problema.

    I don’t have any problem.

  • No hay ninguna tienda abierta.

    There aren’t any stores open.

  • Ninguno de mis amigos vino.

    None of my friends came.

Nunca and jamás

Both mean never. Nunca is the everyday word. Jamás is stronger and a little dramatic, and together, nunca jamás means never ever.

  • Nunca he estado en México.

    I’ve never been to Mexico.

  • ¡Jamás volveré a ese restaurante!

    I’ll never go back to that restaurant!

  • No lo haré nunca jamás.

    I’ll never ever do it.

También and tampoco

To agree with someone, use también (too) after an affirmative sentence, and tampoco (neither) after a negative one.

  1. Affirmative: también
    Hablo inglés. —Yo también.

    I speak English. —Me too.

    Negative: tampoco
    No hablo francés. —Yo tampoco.

    I don’t speak French. —Me neither.

  2. Affirmative: también
    Me gusta el té. —A mí también.

    I like tea. —Me too.

    Negative: tampoco
    No me gusta el café. —A mí tampoco.

    I don’t like coffee. —Me neither.

Ni… ni: neither… nor

Ni is the negative or. Use ni… ni for neither… nor, following the same before-or-after rule as the other negative words.

  • No bebo ni café ni té.

    I drink neither coffee nor tea.

  • Ni Juan ni María vinieron.

    Neither Juan nor María came.

  • No tengo ni idea.

    I have no idea.

Not yet, not anymore, and more

  1. Not yet

    • todavía no
    • aún no

    Something hasn’t happened, but probably will.

    • Todavía no he comido.

      I haven’t eaten yet.

    • ¿Ya llegaron? —Aún no.

      Are they here yet? —Not yet.

  2. Not anymore

    • ya no

    Something used to be true, but isn’t now.

    • Ya no vivo en Madrid.

      I don’t live in Madrid anymore.

    • Mi abuela ya no conduce.

      My grandmother doesn’t drive anymore.

  3. Not this, but that

    • no… sino

    To correct something, use sino (but rather), not pero.

    • No es rojo, sino naranja.

      It’s not red, but orange.

    • No vamos el sábado, sino el domingo.

      We’re not going on Saturday, but on Sunday.

  4. Not even

    • ni siquiera

    For emphasis, like English “not even.”

    • Ni siquiera me llamó.

      He didn’t even call me.

    • No tengo ni siquiera un euro.

      I don’t even have one euro.

Common mistakes English speakers make

  1. Leaving out no before the verb

    Incorrect:Veo nada.
    Correct:No veo nada.

    When a negative word comes after the verb, no goes before the verb.

  2. Adding no when the negative word comes first

    Incorrect:Nadie no vino.
    Correct:Nadie vino.

    If the negative word comes before the verb, it replaces no.

  3. Using algo in a negative sentence

    Incorrect:No quiero algo.
    Correct:No quiero nada.

    Negative sentences use the negative word: nada, not algo.

  4. Agreeing with también after a negative

    Incorrect:No me gusta. —A mí también.
    Correct:No me gusta. —A mí tampoco.

    After a negative sentence, me neither is tampoco.

  5. Using ninguno before a masculine noun

    Incorrect:No tengo ninguno problema.
    Correct:No tengo ningún problema.

    Ninguno shortens to ningún right before a masculine singular noun.

Questions about Spanish negatives

How do you make a sentence negative in Spanish?

Put no right before the verb: Hablo inglés → No hablo inglés ("I don't speak English"). There's no extra word like "do" or "does." If there are object pronouns, no goes before them: No lo sé.

Are double negatives correct in Spanish?

Yes. When a negative word like nada, nadie, or nunca comes after the verb, you also need no before the verb: No veo nada ("I don't see anything"). If the negative word comes first, you leave out no: Nadie vino.

What is the difference between nunca and jamás?

Both mean "never." Jamás is a bit stronger and more emphatic, and nunca jamás means "never ever." In everyday conversation, nunca is far more common.

How do you say "me neither" in Spanish?

Yo tampoco, or A mí tampoco with verbs like gustar: No me gusta el café. —A mí tampoco. To agree with something affirmative ("me too"), use también: Yo también.

What is the difference between ningún and ninguno?

They're the same word. Ninguno shortens to ningún right before a masculine singular noun: ningún problema. On its own, it stays ninguno: No tengo ninguno. The feminine is always ninguna.

Next upAsking questionsYes/no questions, the question words, qué vs. cuál, por qué vs. porque, and tags like ¿no?

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