Question 1

Why are there two negative words (no and jamás) in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

In Spanish, if a negative word like jamás (never) comes after the verb, you must put no before the verb. This double negative is completely correct and required! Alternatively, you can move the negative word to the front and drop the no, giving you Jamás como carne, which means the exact same thing.

Question 2

What is the difference between using jamás here instead of nunca?

Accepted Answer

Both words mean "never" and follow the exact same grammatical rules for double negatives. However, jamás is slightly stronger and more emphatic than nunca. Using it here gives the feeling of "I never, ever eat meat."

Question 3

Why doesn't carne need the article la in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

When talking about an unspecified quantity of a general noun (like meat, rice, or water) as the object of a verb, you usually leave out the definite article. If you said No como la carne jamás, it would sound like you never eat a specific portion of meat that was already mentioned, rather than meat in general.

Question 4

How would I add another food to this sentence using ni... ni (neither... nor)?

Accepted Answer

If you wanted to say you eat neither meat nor fish, you would place ni before each food item. The sentence would become: No como ni carne ni pescado jamás (I never eat meat or fish). The double negative rule with no and jamás still applies exactly the same way when you add these conjunctions!

No como carne jamás.

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