/ˈnuŋka/
Translation
never, ever
Word origin
From Latin numquam ('never'), a compound of num ('now, at all') and quam ('ever').
- Origin
- Latin
- Root
- numquam
Examples
Australia.
I have never been to Australia.
.
I would never do that again.
, .
Better late than never, they say.
.
I never thought I would find her again.
.
This would never have happened with more care.
Nunca follows the same double-negation rule as nada: it can either precede the verb with no "no" ("Nunca llego tarde") or follow the verb with "no" before it ("No llego nunca tarde"). Both patterns are grammatically correct; placing nunca before the verb for emphasis is slightly more formal.
Nunca and jamás are near-synonyms but not perfectly interchangeable. Jamás is more emphatic and literary; "nunca jamás" (never ever) is the intensified collocation. In affirmative questions and conditional sentences, both can mean "ever": "¿Has estado alguna vez en Japón?" is more common than "¿Has estado nunca en Japón?" though both are used.
Where this fits
Used in
Stories
(14)Alguien que lo haya visto
3 min read · Core 5000
Cuando llegué, ya había pasado
3 min read · Core 5000
La conductora de la ambulancia
3 min read · Core 5000
La aventura de Sofía
3 min read · Core 5000
La fábrica de madera
3 min read · Core 5000
La promesa de Lucía
3 min read · Core 5000
Le echo de menos
3 min read · Core 5000
Más vale tarde que nunca
3 min read · Core 5000
No creo que sea grave
3 min read · Core 5000
Por todas partes
3 min read · Core 5000
Preparando la visita
3 min read · Core 5000
¡Vaya sorpresa!
3 min read · Core 5000
Los puestos del sábado
4 min read · Core 1000
Palabras de cocina
5 min read · Core 1000
Grammar articles
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Spanish Grammar Cheatsheet: The Essentials, One Page
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Spanish Intensifiers and Downtoners: muy, -ísimo, super, un poco, más bien
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The Spanish Pluperfect (había hablado)
Spanish Present Perfect: he hablado, ha vivido, hemos visto
Spanish Proverbs (Refranes): Más vale tarde que nunca, A quien madruga Dios le ayuda
The Spanish Subjunctive in Relative (Adjective) Clauses, with Practice
Verbs of Becoming in Spanish: ponerse, hacerse, volverse, convertirse en, llegar a ser
Spanish Word Order: SVO, Pro-Drop and the Five Rules That Cover 90% of Sentences
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nunca: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Spanish word "nunca" (never, ever): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 2.