Question 1

Wait, I thought Portuguese used double negatives. Why isn't there a não before the verb here?

Accepted Answer

You only use não if the verb doesn't already have another negative word before it. Here, the negative word nunca (never) comes right before the verb ouvimos, so adding não would be incorrect. However, if the sentence started with Nós não, you would still keep the second negative word: Nós não ouvimos a voz de ninguém (We don't hear anybody's voice).

Question 2

Why does ninguém translate to "anybody" here instead of "nobody"?

Accepted Answer

Ninguém actually does mean "nobody" or "no one". Because Portuguese grammar requires multiple negative words to agree with each other, this sentence literally translates to "We never hear the voice of nobody." Since English grammar doesn't allow "never" and "nobody" together like that, we translate it to "anybody" so it makes sense in English.

Question 3

How do you say "anybody's"? Why is it de ninguém?

Accepted Answer

In English, we use an apostrophe and an "s" to show ownership ("anybody's voice"). Portuguese never uses apostrophes for possession. Instead, you always have to use the word de (of) and flip the word order to say "the voice of nobody" (a voz de ninguém).

Question 4

Could ouvimos also mean "we heard" in the past tense?

Accepted Answer

Yes! For verbs that end in -ir like ouvir (to hear), the "we" form is exactly the same in both the present tense (ouvimos = we hear) and the simple past tense (ouvimos = we heard). You have to rely on context to know which one it is. Here, nunca (never) usually describes a general habit, making the present tense the most natural choice.

Nós nunca ouvimos a voz de ninguém.

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