Learn Italian: I ladri non hanno preso niente dal negozio. - The thieves haven't taken anything from the store.

In English, double negatives are usually incorrect, but Italian requires them when negative words like niente (nothing/anything) or nessuno (nobody/anybody) come after the verb. You must put non before the verb to make the sentence grammatically correct.

Could I leave out the non and just say I ladri hanno preso niente?

No, because niente is placed after the verb hanno preso. If a negative pronoun like niente goes after the verb, the sentence must have non before the verb. You can only use niente without non if it comes before the verb, usually when it acts as the subject of the sentence.

I do not recognize preso. What verb is this?

It is the past participle of prendere (to take). Prendere is irregular in the passato prossimo (past tense). Instead of following the regular pattern, it completely changes to preso.

Why does it say dal negozio instead of just da?