LoginNegation For Intermediate learners
What is Negation?
Negation (negación) is used to show absence or express denial of a statement. In Spanish, negation can be expressed by negating the verb, using negative pronouns or determiners, or both at the same time.
Negation of the Verb
To negate the verb, we simply add the negative marker "no" before the conjugated verb or the object/reflexive pronoun, if there is one. Other negative adverbs such as "nunca" or "jamás" can also fulfill this function. Here is the structure:
no/negative adverb + (object/reflexive pronoun) + conjugated verb
Here are some examples:
No estudio hoy.
I'm not studying today.
Juan no come carne.
Juan doesn't eat meat.
Nunca escuchas.
You never listen.
No lo entiendo.
I don't understand it.
with an object pronoun
Tip!
It is also possible to form a double negation by using "no" before the verb and another negative adverb after it. Unlike English, double negations are acceptable and commonly used in Spanish. For example:
No tengo nunca tiempo.
I never have time.
Negative Pronouns
We can use negative indefinite pronouns like nadie, nada, ninguno/a, etc. in the subject position (i.e. before the verb) to negate the whole sentence. In this case, the verb doesn't need to be negated. For example:
Nadie vino.
Nobody came.
Nada funciona.
Nothing works.
Ninguno tiene dinero.
None have money.
However, if the negative pronoun is in the object position (that is, after the verb), the verb needs to be negated as well. In this case, there will be a double negative in the sentence, where the two negative words reinforce each other. Here is the structure:
no + conjugated verb + negative indefinite pronoun
No veo nada.
I don't see anything.
(Literally: I don't see nothing.)
No conozco a nadie.
I don't know anyone.
(Literally: I don't know nobody.)
No dijo ninguno.
He didn't say anything.
(Literally: He didn't say nothing.)
Negative Determiners
The determiner "ni" is used as a correlative pair, similar to the English "neither...nor", to show absence of two nouns. Like pronouns, if the pair is in the subject position, the verb remains affirmative, but if it is in the object position, the verb has to be negated as well.
Nunca tengo ni tiempo ni dinero.
I (never) have neither time nor money.
Ni Juan ni Ana vinieron.
Neither Juan nor Ana came.
Additionally, the determiner "ningún" and its feminine form "ninguna" are used before nouns to express that the statement does not apply to any noun in that group.
No encontré ningún libro interesante.
I didn't find any interesting book.
No recibí ninguna llamada hoy.
I didn't receive any call today.
Comments
(0)
Recommended
