Las palabras negativas — The Negative Words
🚫 Las palabras negativas — The Negative Words
| Word | Meaning | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| no | not | No hablo francés. | I don't speak French. |
| nunca | never | Nunca como carne. | I never eat meat. |
| jamás | never (emphatic) | Jamás lo haré. | I will never do it. |
| nada | nothing | No tengo nada. | I have nothing. |
| nadie | nobody | No hay nadie en casa. | There is nobody at home. |
| ningún / ninguna / ninguno | no (adjective) / none (pronoun) | No tengo ningún libro. | I have no book. |
| tampoco | neither / not either | A mí tampoco me gusta. | I don't like it either. |
Every negative word (except bare no) can appear in two positions in the sentence. Both are fully correct — you choose based on which word you want to emphasise.
Earn the mark scheme marks
💡 Common Errors — Negative Words
These are the two mistakes that lose the most marks in AQA Paper 4 (Writing) and Paper 2 (Speaking) when students attempt negative structures.
❌ Error 1: No tengo ninguno libro.
✅ Correct: No tengo ningún libro.
Why it matters: Ningún is the form used directly before a masculine singular noun — the final -o is dropped, just like buen from bueno. However, when no noun follows (the pronoun use), the full form ninguno is kept: ¿Tienes libros? No tengo ninguno. (Do you have any books? I have none.) The form depends entirely on what comes next: noun → ningún / ninguna; nothing → ninguno / ninguna.
❌ Error 2: Tampoco no me gusta el jazz.
✅ Correct: Tampoco me gusta el jazz. OR No me gusta el jazz tampoco.
Why it matters: Tampoco is itself a negative word. Pattern 1 — tampoco before the verb — means "no" before the verb is NOT needed. Pattern 2 — no before the verb — means tampoco goes after the verb. Mixing the patterns (tampoco no…) creates a triple negative that is grammatically wrong. Choose one pattern and stick to it. For AQA writing, Pattern 1 (Tampoco me gusta…) is the safer choice — it is shorter and harder to get wrong.
Now try it yourself
Quiz · Question 1 of 13
Tap an answer to check it