Breakdown of No tenemos ni idea del horario.
Questions & Answers about No tenemos ni idea del horario.
Why is it tenemos and not tenemosmos or something else?
Tenemos is the we form of the verb tener (to have) in the present tense.
- yo tengo = I have
- tú tienes = you have
- él/ella tiene = he/she has
- nosotros/nosotras tenemos = we have
So No tenemos... means We don’t have...
What does ni idea mean here?
Ni idea is a very common expression meaning no idea or not the slightest idea.
In this sentence, No tenemos ni idea literally looks like We do not have not-even an idea, but in natural English it means:
- We have no idea
- We don’t have any idea
The word ni adds emphasis, similar to not even.
Why do you say No tenemos ni idea instead of just Tenemos ni idea?
Because in Spanish, ni idea normally appears with no in this structure.
So the full pattern is:
- No tengo ni idea = I have no idea
- No tenemos ni idea = We have no idea
If you said Tenemos ni idea, it would sound wrong.
What exactly does ni do in this sentence?
Why is it del horario and not de el horario?
What does horario mean exactly?
Horario usually means schedule, timetable, or hours depending on context.
Examples:
- el horario de clases = class schedule
- el horario del tren = train timetable
- el horario de atención = opening hours / business hours
In No tenemos ni idea del horario, it usually means the schedule or the timetable, depending on the situation.
Why is idea singular and not plural?
Because the fixed expression is no tener ni idea — literally, to not have even one idea.
Spanish often uses the singular in this idiom:
- No tengo ni idea
- No tienen ni idea
You would not normally say No tenemos ni ideas here.
Could I also say No sabemos el horario?
Yes, but it means something slightly different.
- No tenemos ni idea del horario = We have no idea about the schedule / We don’t know anything about the schedule
- No sabemos el horario = We don’t know the schedule
The original sentence sounds stronger and more natural when you want to emphasize total ignorance.
Why use de after idea?
Because idea de is a common pattern in Spanish when talking about what the idea is about.
So:
- idea de algo = idea about something
Examples:
Can I say No tenemos idea del horario without ni?
Yes. No tenemos idea del horario is understandable and correct.
But No tenemos ni idea del horario is more idiomatic and more emphatic. It sounds closer to:
- We have absolutely no idea about the schedule
- We have no clue about the schedule
So both are possible, but ni idea is very common in everyday speech.
Is this sentence common in Latin America?
Yes, very common. No tener ni idea is widely used across Latin America and Spain.
You may also hear close alternatives like:
- No tenemos idea
- No tenemos la menor idea = We haven’t the slightest idea
- No tenemos ni la menor idea = We have absolutely no idea
- No sabemos nada del horario = We know nothing about the schedule
But the original sentence is natural and very common.
Could I replace tenemos with another subject?
Yes. The structure stays the same; only the verb changes.
Examples:
- No tengo ni idea del horario. = I have no idea about the schedule.
- No tienes ni idea del horario. = You have no idea about the schedule.
- No tiene ni idea del horario. = He/She/You-formal has no idea about the schedule.
- No tienen ni idea del horario. = They/You-plural have no idea about the schedule.
So the pattern is:
Do I need to include nosotros in this sentence?
No. Spanish usually leaves subject pronouns out when the verb already shows who the subject is.
So:
- No tenemos ni idea del horario. = perfectly natural
- Nosotros no tenemos ni idea del horario. = also correct, but more emphatic
You would add nosotros only if you want contrast or emphasis, such as:
- Nosotros no tenemos ni idea del horario, pero ellos sí. = We have no idea about the schedule, but they do.
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