Kilo Lingo
Spanish grammar Part of Chapter 4

CEFR A1-A2

4 min read

Test yourself (26 questions)

Spanish Negation: no, nunca, nadie and Double Negatives

By Michael McGettrick and Sergio Linares-HernandesUpdated 12 October 2026

Put in front of the verb and the sentence is negative. There is no do or does to carry it:

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Spot the mistake

0/3

Each sentence has one mistake. Tap it.

  • . - I speak English.
  • . - I don't speak English.

The twist: a negative word after the verb still needs in front of it.

The negative words

The whole system on one screen. Each word has a positive partner, covered further down.

nothe negative wordmasculinefeminineWhat do the colours mean?
WordEnglishExample
nothing . I have nothing.
nobody . Nobody's coming.
never . He/she never comes.
never (stronger) . I never lie.
not a single one . Not a single book.
not either . Me neither.
... neither... nor . Neither tea nor coffee.

is the everyday never; is stronger, and the two together are the strongest of all:

NeverNever, ever
  1. nunca
  2. jamás
  3. nunca jamás
  • . - I'm never, ever coming back here.

Position with object pronouns

goes before the verb and before any object pronoun in front of it. The pronoun and the verb stay together; never splits them.

No
Pronoun
Verb
Rest
empty
empty
SpanishEnglish
.I don't see it.
.I don't like coffee.
.I don't understand you.

Never : the pronoun belongs to the verb.

The double-negative rule

When a negative word comes after the verb, the verb still needs in front of it. This is compulsory, and the two negatives do not cancel out:

No
Verb
Negative word
  • . - I have nothing. (literally: I don't have nothing)
  • . - I don't see anybody.
  • . - I don't like it at all.

Two details in those lines. as an object takes the personal : , like María. And after a verb can mean at all.

The single-negative alternative

Put the negative word before the verb and drops. Both orders are correct and mean the same; the word in front sounds a little more emphatic.

Before the verb
Verb
After the verb
empty
empty
Word afterWord firstEnglish
. .Nobody's coming.
. .He/she never comes.
. .I don't like it either.

One negative in front of the verb, never two: is wrong.

Ninguno: not a single one

means not a single one, and it agrees with the noun like an adjective. Before a masculine singular noun it loses its -o, exactly as becomes :

ninguno shortens before a masculine singular noun
FormWhenExample
before a masc. noun .
with a feminine noun .
on its own, masc. .
  • . - I haven't got a single book.
  • . - I haven't got any questions.
  • . - I don't want any of them.

It is almost always singular, where English says any with a plural: - I haven't got any friends here.

Tampoco and ni... ni

is the negative of (too, also). Agreeing with a positive takes ; agreeing with a negative takes :

Someone saysYou agreeEnglish
. .Me too.
. .Me neither.
. .Me too.
. .Me neither.

... is neither... nor. After the verb it takes like the rest:

  • . - I have neither time nor money.
  • . - I eat neither meat nor fish.

Nadie or alguien?

and are negative words, not English anybody and anything. A question uses the positive partner, and the negative comes back in the answer:

PositiveNegative
- something
- somebody
- always
- some, any
- too
  • ¿ ? - Is anybody at home?
  • , . - No, there's nobody.
  • ¿ ? - Do you want anything?
  • , . - No, I don't want anything.

The full set of pairs is on Spanish indefinites.

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
. .negative word after: keep no
no . .negative word first: drop no
no . .no goes before the pronoun
No . . as an object takes a
shortens
¿ ?¿ ?a question takes
Yo no. .me neither is

What to do next

  1. Do the word-order and spot-the-mistake drills below.
  2. Then advanced negation: , , and .
  3. Commands work differently: negative commands.

Practise: test yourself

Put the words in order

0/5

Put the words in order to make the sentence negative.

  1. I don't see it.

    Your sentence is empty.

  2. I don't have anything.

    Your sentence is empty.

  3. Nobody is coming today. (start with the negative word)

    Your sentence is empty.

  4. I never eat meat. (start with the negative word)

    Your sentence is empty.

  5. I don't see anybody.

    Your sentence is empty.

Spot the mistake

0/5

Each sentence has one mistake. Tap it.

Sort into groups

0/6

Does the sentence need a no in front of the verb?

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Pick the right one

0/6

Pick the word that completes the sentence.

  1. No quiero . (anything)

  2. No veo a aquí. (anybody)

  3. Yo . (me neither)

  4. No como carne . (never)

  5. No tengo amigo aquí. (not a single, masculine)

  6. No tengo idea. (not a single, feminine)

Translation drill

0/4

Translate into English.

  1. No tengo nada.

  2. Nadie viene.

  3. No me gusta nada.

  4. Yo tampoco.

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Frequently asked questions

Why does Spanish use double negatives?
Because a negative word after the verb needs no in front of the verb as well: (I have nothing, literally I don't have nothing). This is required, not optional, and it is not a double negative that cancels out. When the negative word goes before the verb, there is no no: (nobody is coming).
Where does no go in a Spanish sentence?
Directly before the conjugated verb, and before any object pronoun in front of it: (I don't speak English), (I don't see it), (he/she doesn't tell me). Nothing comes between no and the pronoun-plus-verb block.
What is the difference between , and ?
They are one word, meaning not a single one, and it agrees with the noun. Before a masculine singular noun it shortens to : (I don't have a single book). With a feminine noun it is : (I haven't got any questions). With no noun after it, it is : (I don't want any of them).
How do you say 'me neither' in Spanish?
. is the negative of (too, also): means me too, means me neither. After the verb it needs no as well, like every negative word: (I don't like it either).
Is '¿ ?' correct Spanish?
Not as an ordinary question. and are negative words, so a question uses (somebody, anybody) and (something, anything): ¿ ? (is anybody at home?), ¿ ? (do you want anything?). The answers then go negative: no, ; no, . ¿ ...? does exist, but only as a rhetorical question that expects the answer no.