No podemos negar el problema.

In Spanish, no goes before the conjugated verb to make the sentence negative.

• Podemos = we can / we are able to
• No podemos = we cannot / we can’t

So No podemos negar el problema means We cannot deny the problem.

This is the normal Spanish word order for negation:

• No entiendo = I don’t understand
• No quieren venir = They don’t want to come

Because podemos is the conjugated verb, and negar stays in the infinitive after it.

This is very common in Spanish when one verb follows another and the first verb is something like can, want, need, must, etc.

Structure:

• podemos = we can
• negar = to deny

So:

• podemos negar = we can deny
• no podemos negar = we cannot deny

Compare:

• Quiero comer = I want to eat
• Necesitamos salir = We need to leave
• Pueden venir = They can come

Podemos is the present tense of poder for nosotros/nosotras (we).

Full present-tense forms of poder:

• yo puedo
• tú puedes
• él/ella/usted puede
• nosotros/nosotras podemos
• vosotros/vosotras podéis
• ellos/ellas/ustedes pueden

In this sentence, podemos means:

• we can
• or, in context, we cannot

Notice that nosotros is not written, because Spanish often leaves subject pronouns out when the verb form already makes the subject clear.

Spanish often omits subject pronouns because the verb ending already tells you who the subject is.

• Podemos already means we can
• so No podemos negar el problema already means We cannot deny the problem

You could say:

• Nosotros no podemos negar el problema

But that usually adds emphasis, contrast, or clarity:

• Ellos sí pueden, pero nosotros no podemos = They can, but we can’t

In a normal sentence, leaving out nosotros sounds more natural.

This is a very common question. Problema is a masculine noun, even though it ends in -a.

So:

• el problema
• un problema

Not:

• la problema

Many Spanish nouns ending in -ma that come from Greek are masculine:

• el problema
• el sistema
• el tema
• el programa

So in this sentence, el problema is correct.

Because el problema is a direct object, and the personal a is only used with specific people (and sometimes pets or personified things), not with ordinary things or abstract nouns.

Here:

• negar = to deny
• el problema = the problem

So el problema is just the thing being denied.

Compare:

• Negamos el problema = We deny the problem
• Veo el coche = I see the car

But with a person:

• Veo a María = I see María

Since problema is not a person, there is no personal a.

Here, negar means to deny, to refuse to admit, or to reject the truth/existence of something.

So negar el problema means:

• to deny the problem
• to act as if the problem is not real
• to refuse to admit that the problem exists or matters

This verb is stronger and more specific than just not mentioning something.

A few related ideas:

• ignorar el problema = to ignore the problem
• ocultar el problema = to hide the problem
• negar el problema = to deny the problem

Yes. That is a very natural English translation.

• No podemos = we cannot / we can’t
• negar el problema = deny the problem

Depending on context, it could also mean:

• We cannot deny that there is a problem
• We can’t pretend the problem doesn’t exist

The exact English wording may vary, but the Spanish structure stays the same.

In standard Peninsular Spanish pronunciation:

• negar ≈ neh-GAR
• problema ≈ proh-BLEH-ma
• podemos ≈ poh-DEH-mos

A few useful pronunciation notes:

• In negar, the g is a hard g sound because it comes before a.
  • So it sounds like the g in go
• The stress is:
  • ne-GAR
  • pro-BLE-ma
  • po-DE-mos
• Spanish vowels are usually short and clear:
  • e sounds like eh
  • o sounds like oh

So the whole sentence is roughly:

• No po-DE-mos ne-GAR el pro-BLE-ma

Yes, absolutely. That is a very natural alternative.

• No podemos negar el problema = We cannot deny the problem
• No podemos negar que hay un problema = We cannot deny that there is a problem

The version with que hay is a little more explicit, because it states the fact directly.

Compare:

• No podemos negar el problema = more compact
• No podemos negar que hay un problema = more explanatory

Both are correct; the choice depends on style and context.

It can express more than one kind of cannot, depending on context.

No podemos may mean:

1. Literal inability

   • We are not able to deny it

2. Logical impossibility

   • The evidence is too clear; we can’t deny it

3. Moral/rhetorical impossibility

   • It would be wrong or unreasonable to deny it

So in real usage, No podemos negar el problema often sounds like:

• We can’t honestly deny the problem
• There’s no way to deny the problem
• We must acknowledge the problem

Spanish often leaves that nuance to context rather than spelling it out.