In today’s blog we will focus on how to construct negative sentences in Spanish. There are few and very simple rules that will guide you in this task. Our Spanish school, El Rincón del Tándem, will explain them to you shortly! 😊
If you have just started to study Spanish, you might not know yet how to create negative sentences in Spanish.
To begin with, there are different ways to make a sentence negative.
Let’s learn them all!
HOW TO CREATE NEGATIVES IN SPANISH
Firstly, the easiest way is placing the negative adverb NO before the verb. This way, we are denying the action that is expressed by the verb.
- Lucia no quiere comer pasta = Luca doesn’t want to eat pasta
- Hoy no iré al gimnasio. No me encuentro bien = I won’t be going to the gym today. I don’t feel well
- Pilar no es muy alta = Pilar is not very tall
Please, note that the adverb NO must go after the subject and before the verb.
Secondly, denial can be expressed through negative Spanish words, that must be put in front the verb and after the subject. These Spanish words can be:
– Negative adverbials: nunca (never), jamás (never/ever), tampoco (neither)
- Nunca como paella por la noche = I never eat paella at night
- Jamás cantaré en un karaoke = I will never sing karaoke
- Jesús tampoco vive cerca de la escuela = Jesus doesn’t live near the school either
In a previous article, we have spoken about the subtle difference between nunca and jamás…Take a look at it! 😉
– Indefinite pronouns like nadie (nobody, no one), nada (nothing), ninguno/a/os/as (none, not one)
- Nadie habla con Carlos = Nobody talks to Carlos
- Ninguno de nosotros ha estado en Valencia = None of us has been to Valencia
Thirdly, we can use expressions like: en la/mi/tu/su vida
- En mi vida me gastaré tanto dinero en un móvil = I will never spend so much money on a mobile pone
Lastly, in Spanish we can use the negative conjunction ni in front of the subject:
- Ni Maria quiere escuchar tus quejas = Even Maria won’t listen to your complaints
In Spanish, the usage of double negatives is also very common. These constructions, unlike other languages like English, are not only grammatically correct but also very frequently used.
But, let’s talk about it in a future post 😉
As usual, we hope that this short and simple guide on how to create negative sentences in Spanish will help you master this topic.
Finally, our Spanish school, El Rincón del Tándem, is happy to provide you with Spanish lessons here in Valencia.
Take a look at our Spanish courses and choose the one that suits you best!
¡Hasta pronto!
