No estudio francés.
English: I do not study French.
- Language
- Spanish
- Level
- A2
- Unit
- Negación y estructura de la oración
- Practice types
- 0
What this grammar point covers
Negation in Spanish is how you make a sentence negative, for example, to say that something does not happen or does not exist.
When to use it
Use negation in Spanish when you want to say 'no', deny something, say that something never happens, or that nobody or nothing is involved.
Key forms
- no + verb (No tengo dinero.)
- nunca + verb (Nunca viajo en avión.)
- nadie + verb (Nadie sabe la respuesta.)
- nada + verb (No quiero nada.)
- tampoco + verb (Tampoco entiendo.)
Examples
Nunca como carne.
English: I never eat meat.
No hay nadie en casa.
English: There is nobody at home.
No quiero nada.
English: I want nothing.
Tampoco entiendo la pregunta.
English: I do not understand the question either.
Tips
- Usually, put 'no' directly before the verb in Spanish.
- If you use words like 'nada', 'nadie', or 'nunca' after the verb, you must also use 'no' before the verb.
- Do not use double negatives in English, but in Spanish, it is correct and sometimes necessary.
Exceptions and edge cases
- When 'nadie', 'nunca', or 'nada' come before the verb, you do not need 'no'.