Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Ni siquiera el metro funcionaba por la noche. - Not even the subway was running at night.

ni siquiera means “not even.” It intensifies the negation by spotlighting something you’d normally expect to be true. Here it emphasizes that, of all things, even the metro didn’t run at night.

Do I need no with ni siquiera?

If the negative word comes before the verb, you do NOT use no: Ni siquiera el metro funcionaba por la noche.
If it comes after the verb, you DO use no: No funcionaba ni siquiera el metro por la noche.
Avoid doubling the negation before the verb: Ni siquiera el metro no funcionaba… is incorrect.

Can I change the word order?

Yes. These are all natural, with minor differences in emphasis:

El metro ni siquiera funcionaba por la noche.
Ni siquiera funcionaba el metro por la noche.
Por la noche ni siquiera funcionaba el metro. Keep ni siquiera right before the element it emphasizes. El metro no funcionaba ni siquiera (with nothing after it) sounds incomplete.

Why is it funcionaba (imperfect) and not funcionó (preterite)?

The imperfect funcionaba describes an ongoing or habitual situation in the past: it wasn’t running at night (generally or during a period). The preterite no funcionó would point to a single, completed occasion: Ayer por la noche el metro no funcionó.

Could I use the progressive, like no estaba funcionando?

Only for a specific time frame: A las 2 a. m. el metro no estaba funcionando. For general/habitual situations, Spanish prefers the simple imperfect: no funcionaba.

Why is the article el used with metro? Can I omit it?

Spanish normally uses the definite article with generic institutions/services when they’re the subject: El metro no funcionaba. You can’t drop it here. Contrast with transport after a preposition: ir en metro (no article).

Is metro the normal word in Spain? Are there alternatives?

Yes, metro is standard in Spain. Elsewhere you may see subte (Buenos Aires) or subterráneo (older/literary). For commuter rail in Spain, Cercanías is used, not metro.

What’s the difference between por la noche, de noche, and en la noche?

por la noche: very common in Spain; “at night/during the night.”
de noche: also common; a bit more adverbial (“by night/at night”).
en la noche: more typical in Latin America than in Spain. For habitual meaning, you can also say por las noches (on/at night, generally).

Where does ni siquiera go in relation to what it modifies?

It should immediately precede the focused element:

Modifying the subject: Ni siquiera el metro funcionaba…
Modifying the verb/event: El metro ni siquiera funcionaba…
Modifying a time/complement: No funcionaba ni siquiera a medianoche. Avoid placing ni siquiera at the end with nothing following.

Is ni el metro OK without siquiera?

Yes, but usage differs:

As part of a list after a prior negative: No funcionaban los autobuses, ni el metro.
Sentence-initial for emphasis is possible (Ni el metro funcionaba), but ni siquiera is the more common standalone way to mean “not even.”

Can I use tampoco here?

Only if you’re saying “the metro didn’t work either” after another negative statement: No funcionaban los autobuses. Tampoco funcionaba el metro. tampoco = “either/neither,” not “not even,” so it isn’t interchangeable with ni siquiera.

Any spelling or punctuation gotchas with siquiera?

It’s one word: siquiera, not “si quiera” (which would mean “if he/she wants”).
No comma between ni siquiera and the word it modifies.
Pronunciation: stress on the -ie- syllable [si-KJE-ra].

Does the sentence imply that nothing worked at night?

It strongly suggests that if even the metro wasn’t running, other options probably weren’t either, but that’s a pragmatic implication, not a strict logical entailment.

Could I use incluso or hasta instead of ni siquiera?

Affirmative “even”: Incluso/Hasta el metro funcionaba por la noche.
Negative “not even”: use ni siquiera or the pattern no + verbo + ni siquiera + X. Don’t say No funcionaba incluso/hasta el metro.