Spanish grammar - Double negatives in Spanish

Double negatives in Spanish

Double negatives are are a standard part of the Spanish language.

When using negative expressions, it's common to include multiple negative words in the same sentence to emphasize the negation.

Note the use of these common indefinite and negative pronouns, adverbs, or adjectives:

• nada means 'nothing' and is used to indicate the absence of things or objects.

• nadie means 'nobody' or 'no one' and is used to indicate the absence of people.

• nunca means 'never' and is used to indicate that something does not happen at any time.

• ningún (m) & ninguna (f) means 'no', 'none', or 'not any' and is used to indicate the absence of a specific thing or person.

• jamás means 'never' (emphatic) and is used to indicate that something does not happen at any time, often with more emphasis than "nunca".

• tampoco means 'neither' or 'not either' and is used to add another negative element to an already negative sentence.

• sin means 'without' and is used to indicate the absence of something.

Examples:
	No necesito nada de ti. (I) don't need anything from you. de ti means 'from you'
	No le gusta nada de esto. He/She doesn't like anything about this. de esto means 'about this'
	Nadie vino a la fiesta. Nobody came to the party. nadie means 'nobody'
	Nunca veo a nadie en el parque. (I) never see anybody in the park.
	No hay ningún libro en la mesa. There is no book on the table. ningún means 'no'
	Jamás he visto nada igual. (I) have never seen anything like it. jamás means 'never' (emphatic) haber means 'to have' igual means 'like it'
	Ella tampoco quiere ir al cine. She doesn't want to go to the cinema either. tampoco means 'not either' cine means 'cinema'
	No hacemos nada sin permiso. (We) don't do anything without permission. permiso means 'permission'
	Nadie me escucha nunca. Nobody ever listens to me. escuchar means 'to listen'
	No veo a nadie en la oficina. (I) don't see anybody in the office.
	No hay ningún problema. There is no problem. problema means 'problem'
	Nunca encuentro nada interesante. (I) never find anything interesting. encontrar means 'to find'
	Nadie hace eso nunca. Nobody ever does that.
	No veo ningún coche en la calle. (I) don't see any car on the street.
	Nunca me dice nada. He/She never tells me anything. decir means 'to tell'
	No hacemos nada sin ayuda. (We) don't do anything without help.
	Nadie quiere trabajar nunca los domingos. Nobody ever wants to work on Sundays. los domingos means 'on Sundays'
	Ella no tiene ningún interés en eso. She has no interest in that. interés means 'interest' en eso means 'in that'