The Spanish Sentence — Negative Sentences

The Spanish Sentence — Negative Sentences

Negative sentences in Spanish are formed by placing the negative word immediately before the verb.

The expression ¿no es verdad? (frequently shortened to ¿verdad? or merely to ¿no?) is used inquiringly with an expectation of assent, where in English we repeat the auxiliary verb; thus:

Ustedes cruzan todos los días, ¿no es verdad?
You cross every day, don't you?

Ellos estudian en la Academia, ¿no?
They are studying at the Academy, aren't they?

No is associated with other negative words which come after it, and do not as in English, counteract the negation, but rather strengthen it:

No compro ninguna casa.
I am not buying any house.

No como nada.
I do not eat anything.

If any negative word is used with no it must be placed after the verb, otherwise it must take the place of no, immediately before the verb:

Él no come nunca aquí.
He never eats here.

Él nunca come aquí.
He never eats here.