Question 1

Why is there no no before necesito if the sentence says "not even"?

Accepted Answer

When negative phrases like ni siquiera (not even) are placed right before the verb, Spanish does not use the word no. If you wanted to put it after the verb, you would need a double negative: no necesito ni siquiera. Placing it before the verb makes the sentence negative all on its own.

Question 2

Could I use hasta here instead of ni siquiera?

Accepted Answer

No, because hasta is used for extreme inclusion in affirmative sentences, meaning even. Because this sentence is negative (not even), you must use ni siquiera. You would use hasta in a positive context, such as hasta yo necesito agua (even I need water).

Question 3

Why use A mí me da igual instead of just Me da igual?

Accepted Answer

The phrase A mí emphasizes who is feeling this way. While Me da igual means exactly the same thing, adding A mí makes it stronger, like saying As for me, I do not care. It highlights a contrast between the speaker's careless attitude and how much others might care about the drought.

Question 4

In the first part, why does la sequía come after the verb?

Accepted Answer

The expression dar igual works just like the verb gustar. The thing that does not matter to you (la sequía, the drought) is actually the grammatical subject of the sentence, so the verb da matches it. In Spanish, it is very natural for the subject to come after these types of verbs.

A mí me da igual la sequía; ni siquiera necesito una gota de agua.

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