A1 Spanish grammar

Spanish Negation: Use No, Nunca, and Tampoco

Spanish negation begins with one dependable pattern: place no directly before the conjugated verb. Common negative words such as nunca, nada, and tampoco let you say never, nothing, and neither or not either.

Build Spanish negation with no

Turn a simple affirmative sentence negative by putting no immediately before the verb: Hablo becomes No hablo.

No hablo francés.

I do not speak French.No appears directly before hablo.

Quick check

Make Hablo inglés negative.

Use common Spanish negative words

Nunca means never, nada means nothing, and tampoco means neither or not either. Their position depends on whether they appear before or after the verb.

Nunca trabajo los domingos.

I never work on Sundays.Nunca appears before the verb, so another no is unnecessary.

Use Spanish double negatives correctly

When nada or nunca follows the verb, Spanish normally keeps no before the verb: No veo nada. This is standard Spanish, not an error.

No veo nada.

I do not see anything.Nada follows the verb, so Spanish keeps no before the verb.

Common mistakes

Hablo no francés.

No hablo francés.

Place no before the conjugated verb.

Veo nada.

No veo nada.

When nada follows the verb, standard Spanish also places no before the verb.

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Basic negation FAQ

Where does no go in a Spanish sentence?

Place no directly before the conjugated verb: No estudio or No somos de aquí.

Does Spanish allow double negatives?

Yes. Forms such as No veo nada and No viene nunca are standard Spanish.

What is the difference between también and tampoco?

También agrees with a positive statement. Tampoco agrees with a negative statement.

Do I use no before nunca?

Not when nunca appears before the verb: Nunca voy. If nunca follows the verb, use no: No voy nunca.

Continue learning

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