Negation
Put no in front of the verb. That's it.
No hablo inglés.
^
| affirmative | negative |
|---|---|
| Tengo tiempo. | No tengo tiempo. |
| Es caro. | No es caro. |
| Hemos comido. | No hemos comido. |
Object pronouns stay glued to the verb, so no goes before them: No lo sé. No me gusta.
Negative words — and the double negative
| word | meaning |
|---|---|
| nada | nothing |
| nadie | nobody |
| nunca / jamás | never |
| ningún / ninguna | no, not any |
| tampoco | neither / not either |
| ni … ni | neither … nor |
Two positions, both correct:
- Negative word before the verb → no no needed: Nadie viene. Nunca fumo.
- Negative word after the verb → you must add no before the verb: No viene nadie. No fumo nunca.
The double negative is not sloppy here — it is the grammar. No tengo nada = "I don't have anything".
Answering
- ¿Vienes? — No. / Sí.
- ¿No vienes? — Sí, voy. (no special word like French si; just say sí).
- "Me neither": Yo tampoco. "Me too": Yo también.
Mind the false friend
no also means "don't you?" at the end of a sentence: Vienes, ¿no? = "You're coming, aren't you?"
Same chapter in: English · French · German · Italian · Georgian · Mandarin Chinese · Cantonese · Malay