Ch 37 · Lesson 8Spanish · Chapter 37 · Lesson 8 · Grammar primer
Advanced negation: ni... ni, ni siquiera, tampoco
(neither... nor), (not even), (me neither), and why and before the verb need no no.
The short version
Before the verb,
.
Why?Hide
... , and follow the double-negative rule. Before the verb they stand alone: Juan Pedro , . After the verb, no goes in front: , .
Advanced negation at a glance
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| Word | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| ... | . | I'm neither cold nor hot. |
. | He/She didn't even call me. | |
. | Me neither. | |
. | It's not red but blue. | |
. | It's expensive but good. | |
, . | He/She didn't come but phoned. | |
| no | . | I don't smoke any more. |
| no | . | He/She hasn't arrived yet. |
. | I don't like it at all. | |
. | I hardly know him. | |
| no | . | It's not that I don't want to. |
The negative words here (, , , ) follow the rule you already know from basic negation: before the verb it stands alone; after the verb, no goes in front.
Ni... ni: neither... nor
... rules out two things together. Where it sits decides whether no appears:
| Where | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| after the verb | . | I have neither time nor money. |
| after the verb | . | I like neither coffee nor tea. |
| before it | Juan Pedro . | Neither Juan nor Pedro came. |
Two subjects before the verb usually make it plural: . The singular is heard too, but the plural is the safe choice.
A single joins a second negative, like English "nor" or "and not":
.- I don't know and I don't care..- Don't even think about it.
Ni siquiera: not even
denies even the least you could expect. Before the verb it stands alone; after it, no comes back:
| Where | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| before | . | He/She didn't even call me. |
| before | . | He/She didn't even try. |
| after | . | I don't even have one . |
| after | . | He/She didn't even tell me his/her name. |
Plain can carry the same "not even" in speech, a little more bluntly:
- No me llamó.didn’t call me
- Ni me llamó.didn’t even call, casual
- Ni siquiera me llamó.didn’t even call
Tampoco: not either
agrees with a positive ("me too"); agrees with a negative ("me neither"):
| You hear | Agree with it | English |
|---|---|---|
. | . | Me too. |
. | . | Me neither. |
. | . | Me too. |
. | . | Me neither. |
After me , me and the other gustar-type verbs, agree with a , not yo.
In a full sentence, follows the usual rule:
.- I don't know either..- I don't know either.
Going further: Sino or pero and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
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