Negative adverbs make a sentence negative — or intensify a negation that's already there. Spanish is famous (or notorious) for allowing double negation, where two negative words in the same clause don't cancel each other out but reinforce each other. If you've been told to avoid double negatives in English, you'll need to unlearn that rule for Spanish.
The Main Negative Words
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| no | no, not |
| nunca | never |
| jamás | never (emphatic) |
| tampoco | neither, (not) either |
| nada | nothing |
| nadie | nobody |
| ninguno / ningún / ninguna | none, no one |
| ni siquiera | not even |
| ni... ni | neither... nor |
| en absoluto | not at all |
| de ninguna manera | no way, in no way |
No quiero nada.
I don't want anything.
Nunca he estado en Brasil.
I've never been to Brazil.
The Position of No
No comes directly before the conjugated verb. Nothing goes between them except object pronouns.
No hablo francés.
I don't speak French.
No te preocupes.
Don't worry.
Double Negation: The Core Rule
Here's the key pattern. When a negative word comes after the verb, you must also put no before the verb. When a negative word comes before the verb, you drop the no.
| Pattern | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| no + verb + negative | No veo a nadie. | I don't see anyone. |
| negative + verb | Nadie viene. | Nobody is coming. |
| no + verb + negative | No dice nada. | He doesn't say anything. |
| negative + verb | Nada funciona. | Nothing works. |
No tengo ningún problema.
I don't have any problem.
Ninguno de ellos vino.
None of them came.
Stacking Negatives
Spanish happily stacks three or more negative words in a single clause. Each one reinforces the others — the sentence stays negative no matter how many you pile on.
No le dije nada a nadie nunca.
I never told anyone anything.
No quiero nada de eso tampoco.
I don't want any of that either.
Nunca vs. Jamás
Both mean "never." Nunca is the everyday word. Jamás is stronger and more emphatic, and is often translated as "never ever." You can combine them for maximum effect: nunca jamás.
Jamás haré eso.
I will never do that.
Nunca jamás volveré.
I will never ever return.
Tampoco
Tampoco is the negative counterpart of también ("also"). It means "neither" or "not either." You'll use it when agreeing with a negative statement.
— No me gusta el café. — A mí tampoco.
— I don't like coffee. — Me neither.
Mi hermano tampoco viene.
My brother isn't coming either.
Ni Siquiera
Ni siquiera means "not even." It emphasizes that even the smallest, most obvious thing didn't happen.
Ni siquiera me saludó.
He didn't even say hi to me.
No tengo ni siquiera un peso.
I don't even have a peso.
En Absoluto and De Ninguna Manera
These are strong, emphatic ways of saying "not at all" or "no way." Watch out for the false friend: en absoluto sounds like it should mean "absolutely" but it's actually a negation. It's always used with another negative (or in short negative answers).
— ¿Te molesta? — En absoluto.
— Does it bother you? — Not at all.
De ninguna manera voy a aceptar eso.
There's no way I'm accepting that.
Common mistakes
❌ Yo no veo nada no.
Wrong: three negatives are redundant — standard double negation is enough.
✅ Yo no veo nada.
Correct: no + nada is standard double negation in Spanish.
❌ Nunca yo voy al cine.
Wrong: nunca typically comes before the verb, not before the subject.
✅ Nunca voy al cine.
Correct: nunca directly before the verb.
❌ No me gusta. — Yo no también.
Wrong: 'me neither' is tampoco, not no también.
✅ No me gusta. — A mí tampoco.
Correct: tampoco for 'neither' or 'me neither'.
Where to Next
- Adverbs of Frequency — nunca, jamás and their positive counterparts
- Adverb Position — placement for negation
- Indefinite Pronouns — alguien/nadie, algo/nada
Related Topics
- Adverbs OverviewA1 — An introduction to Spanish adverbs, what they modify, and the main categories you'll encounter
- Adverbs of FrequencyA1 — How to say always, sometimes, and never in Spanish, and where these adverbs go in the sentence
- Adverb PositionA2 — Where adverbs go in a Spanish sentence, with the main tendencies and the flexibility you have
- Alguno and NingunoA2 — The indefinite determiners meaning 'some/any' and 'no/not any'