Making a Sentence Negative in a Snap!
¡Hola, amigos! In Spanish, the most common way to turn a sentence into a negative one is by simply adding no before the verbal expression. Let’s see two simple examples!
Pepe come pizza (Pepe eats pizza).
Pepe no come Pizza (Pepe doesn’t eat pizza).
He terminado (I have finished).
No he terminado (I haven’t finished).
TIP! In Spanish, when you are using object pronouns, the negative word no comes before the pronoun:
Lo vi (I saw him).
No lo vi (I didn’t see him).
Common Negative Words
We’ve got a whole arsenal of negative words that can totally transform your language game. And the best part? You can use them in not one, but TWO different ways!
You can put the negative word before the verb, or you can put no before the verb and the other negative word after the verb. The most common negative words are:
1. Nadie (No One, Nobody)
Nobody lives here.
Nadie vive aquí.
Aquí no vive nadie.
2. Nada (Nothing)
I have nothing.
Nada tengo. (uncommon)
No tengo nada.
3. Nunca (Never)
He never goes
Él nunca va.
Él no va nunca.
TIP! In Spanish, you can use multiple negative words in one sentence, unlike in English. It’s pretty interesting, right?
Carlos nunca le dice nada a nadie.
Charles never says anything to anyone.
Tampoco
Did you know that “tampoco” is a word used instead of “también” when expressing the opposite? It functions as a way to indicate negativity.
Él lo sabe (He knows it).
Yo lo sé también (I know it too).
Él no lo sabe (He doesn’t know it).
Yo tampoco lo sé.
Yo no lo sé tampoco (I don’t know it either).
And now, let’s play this game!
