Spanish 1 / Unit 5: School and Present Tense -ar Verbs
5.5 Negation
Notes
To make a sentence negative, put no right before the verb.
- Estudio. → No estudio. (I don't study.)
- Answering a question: ¿Hablas francés? — No, no hablo francés. The first no answers; the second makes the verb negative.
- nunca (never) can go before the verb: Nunca dibujo en clase.
- Or after with no: No dibujo nunca. Both are correct.
- nada = nothing, nadie = nobody: No necesito nada. Spanish uses double negatives.
Practice
How do you say "We don't work on Sundays"?
Put no directly before the verb.
Answer negatively: "¿Practicas el piano?"
No (answer) + no practico (negative verb).
What does "No necesito nada" mean?
Spanish double negatives mean a single negative in English.
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