Topic Summaries

Negation

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GCSE > Spanish > AQA > GCSE Spanish Topic Summaries > Grammar IV: Prepositions and other grammar functions > Negation
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DIALOGUE EXAMPLES: The wider world

  • In Spanish, to make a sentence negative, you usually place ‘no’ before the verb:
  • Structure: no + verb + rest of sentence
  • Common negative words:
    • no (not)
    • nada (nothing / anything)
    • nunca (never)
    • nadie (no one / nobody)
    • ninguno(a) (none / not any)
  • Examples:
    • No como carne. (I don’t eat meat.)
    • No tengo nada. (I have nothing / I don’t have anything.)
    • No viene nadie. (No one is coming.)
    • No veo nunca a Juan. (I never see Juan.)
    • No tengo ninguno. (I don’t have any / I have none.)
  • Other negation phrases include:
    • ya no (no longer / not anymore): used before the verb to express that something used to happen but doesn’t anymore.
      • Ya no vivo allí. (I no longer live there.)
      • Ya no estudia medicina. (He/she doesn’t study medicine anymore.)
    • (no) tampoco (neither / not … either): used to agree in the negative with a previous statement, usually placed before the verb in negative form.
      • No me gusta el café.— A mí tampoco. (I don’t like coffee. — Me neither.)
      • Ella no quiere salir, y yo tampoco. (She doesn’t want to go out, and neither do I.)
    • (no)…ni… (not…nor…): used to negate two or more elements. The no is optional but adds clarity or emphasis.
      • No tengo ni dinero ni tiempo. (I don’t have money or time.)
      • No llamó ni escribió. (He/she neither called nor wrote.)
    • (no) ni…ni… (emphatic negation): this form stresses that none of the mentioned elements apply.
      • Ni come ni duerme. (He/she neither eats nor sleeps.)
      • Ni tú ni yo sabemos la respuesta. (Neither you nor I know the answer.)

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