You have probably heard that double negatives are incorrect because two negatives make a positive. For example, "I don't have none" means "I have some" and "He doesn't know no one" would mean "He knows someone." However, while this holds true in English, the same is not so in Spanish, where double negatives are perfectly acceptable and commonplace! Let's further explore this concept.

Simple Negation in Spanish

As you might know, to create a negative Spanish sentence, you simply add the word "no" in front of the verb. To state a very simple example, while Voy means "I'm going," No voy means "I'm not going."

Creating Double Negatives in Spanish 

To add emphasis to the aforementioned sentence, you could add an additional negative Spanish word like nunca (never) as we see below:

No voy nunca.

I'm never going/I'm not ever going.

Despite the fact that this sentence's literal translation, "I'm not going never," would be unacceptable in English, as we stated previously, there is nothing negative about Spanish double negatives! Another thing to note about Spanish double negative sentences is that, as we see in the example above, there is often more than one correct way to translate them to English. 

Negative Spanish Words

The following list of negative Spanish words are often used to create Spanish double negative sentences:

jamás: never, ever

nadie: nobody, no one

ningún: no, not a single, any

ninguno/a: no, none, not one, nobody, no one

nunca: never, ever

tampoco: neither, nor, either 

ni: nor, not even

Armed with this information, let's take a look at several examples of Spanish double negatives from our Yabla Spanish library. To help you think about them, we have included their literal translations as well as alternative translations to English in some cases.

No, no, mi amor, no vino nadie a verme, no, no.

No, no, my love, nobody came to see me, no, no.

Caption 1, Yago 10 Enfrentamientos - Part 6

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Literal translation: No one didn't come to see me.

él no dijo nada.

he didn't say anything.

Caption 52, Los Años Maravillosos Capítulo 12 - Part 3

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Literal translation: He didn't say nothing.

Alternative translation: He said nothing. 

No, no tengo ninguno, no... ¿Por qué? ¿Qué propones?

No, I don't have any, I don't... Why? What do you suggest?

Captions 23-24, Confidencial: El rey de la estafa Capítulo 4 - Part 7

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Literal translation: I don't have none.

Alternative translation: I have none.

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Additional Spanish Double Negative Formulas 

In addition to the word "no," the placement of additional negative Spanish words like nunca (never), tampoco (not either) or nadie (no one) before verbs can also negate phrases, as in the sentences Tampoco voy (I'm not going either), Él nunca toma alchohol (He never drinks alcohol) and Nadie viene (No one is coming). Therefore, we can also form Spanish double negatives with these words plus an additional negative word, as we see in the examples below. Can you come up with their literal or additional English translations?

Yo ahí tampoco espero nada.

I don't expect anything there either.

Caption 55, Confidencial: Broma pesada Capítulo 3 - Part 7

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por él no me preocupo, a él nunca le pasa nada.

I don't worry about him; nothing ever happens to him.

Caption 34, La Sucursal del Cielo Capítulo 3 - Part 10

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Nadie va a ninguna parte.

Nobody's going anywhere.

Caption 31, Los Años Maravillosos Capítulo 10 - Part 7

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Spanish Triple Negatives and Beyond

Interestingly, not only are double negatives OK in Spanish, but so are triple negatives and more! Let's take a look at a few examples of this phenomenon, starting with a triple negative sentence:

pues no quiere deberle nada a nadie cuando llegue a la presidencia

for he doesn't want to owe anything to anyone when he gets to the presidency

Caption 53, Andrés Manuel López Obrador Publicidad de Obrador

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Let's see one more:

Nunca he viajado ni en campervan ni en autocaravana.

I've never traveled in either a camper or in a motorhome.

Caption 18, Viajando con Fermín Caravaning - Part 2

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Keep in mind that that although the previous sentence entailed a triple negative, there is no limit to the number of times that the Spanish word ni, which functions as the equivalent of English words like "either," "or," "neither" and "nor," can be used in a sentence. For example, if you wanted to add on some additional modes of transportation on which you had never traveled, you could do so as follows:

Nunca he viajado ni en campervan ni en autocaravana ni en avión ni en helicóptero ni en tren. 

I've never traveled in either a camper or in a motorhome or in an airplane or on a train. 

Let's conclude this lesson with the frequently-heard double negative phrase nunca jamás (the Spanish equivalent of "never ever," which you can learn more about in our lessons on Never and Ever in Spanish). Let's take a look at this phrase in the context of a Spanish triple negative: 

nunca digas nunca jamás.

never ever say never.

Caption 89, Confidencial: Broma pesada Capítulo 1 - Part 14

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That's all for today. We hope that this lesson has helped you to better understand the idea of double and even multiple negative sentences in Spanish, and we urge you to both be on the lookout for them and formulate some of your own! And don't forget to write us with your questions and comments.

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How do you say "no" in Spanish? Today's lesson will teach you a multitude of ways! Whether you're politely declining or firmly standing your ground, you'll discover the perfect expressions for every situation.

Saying "No" in Spanish

If you are wondering how to say "no" in Spanish, like in English, there are many different ways. For starters, we could just say "no" like we do in English (with a slightly different pronunciation, of course)!

Elena, por favor, ¿te sentís bien? No.

Elena, please, do you feel alright? No.

Captions 1-2, Yago 13 La verdad - Part 5

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How Do You Say "No, Thank You" in Spanish?

For a more polite choice, use the Spanish equivalent of "No, thank you":

¿Quieres? No, gracias. Tengo unas galletas aquí.

Do you want [some]? No, thank you. I have some cookies here.

Captions 12-13, Conversaciones en el parque Cap. 2: Cafe y bocadillos

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How Do You Say "No Way" in Spanish?

To answer with a more emphatic "no," try one of the many expressions that mean "No way" in Spanish. The first one can be translated quite literally:

How Do You Say "Don't Even Think About It" in Spanish?

While the first, most literal way to say "Don't even think about it" in Spanish is Ni lo pienses, there are several others, such as Ni se te ocurra, which literally means "Don't even let it occur to you":

Si yo dejé mi departamento... -Ni se te ocurra. 

If I left my apartment... -Don't even think about it.

Caption 14, Muñeca Brava 45 El secreto - Part 6

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Let's see one more:

¡Ni lo sueñes!

Don't even think about it [literally "Don't even dream about it"]!

Caption 19, Extr@: Extra en español Ep. 7: La gemela - Part 5

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An alternative variation would be: ¡Ni en tus sueños! In English, of course, we would merely say "In your dreams" (as opposed to the literal translation "Not in your dreams").   

How Do You Say "I Don't Feel Like It" in Spanish?

In Spanish, a common way to say you're just not in the mood (to do something) is no tener ganas de + infinitive, as follows

Dale. -Sí. -Sí. -Te toca. Gracias, Merycita, pero no tengo ganas de jugar.

Go ahead. -Yes. -Yes. -It's your turn. Thank you, Merycita, but I don't feel like playing.

Captions 57-58, Club 10 Capítulo 1 - Part 3

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To say simply "I don't feel like it," you might choose No tengo ganas or the alternative expression No me da la gana.

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More Dramatic Ways to Say "No" in Spanish

Let's look at a few more common Spanish expressions that make abundantly clear that one's answer is negative: 

No, no, no, para nada, no, ¿cómo se te ocurre?

No, no, no, not at all, no, how can you think that?

Caption 12, Confidencial: El rey de la estafa Capítulo 4 - Part 8

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De eso nada. ¡Es mía, sólo mía!

None of that. It's mine, just mine!

Caption 21, Los casos de Yabla Problemas de convivencia - Part 1

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No, en absoluto.

No, absolutely not.

Caption 76, Muñeca Brava 7 El poema - Part 8

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And, let's conclude with the most dramatic option of all:

We hope you've enjoyed this lesson on how to say "no" in Spanish. Can you think of any additional Spanish ways to say "no"? Don't forget to let us know!

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The Spanish adverbial phrases  hasta que and hasta que no are both useful to describe situations in which one action depends upon another, in other words, what will or won't be done or happen "until" something else happens. However, because the literal translations for phrases involving the latter construction don't make sense in English, the hasta que no construction can be confusing for English speakers. We hope this lesson will clarify this confusion.

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Hasta que 

The adverbial phrase hasta que means "until" and can be used with many different verb tenses. However, in the sentences we will be talking about today, the verb that follows hasta que refers to something that might happen in the future but has not yet happened and must thus be conjugated in a subjunctive tense. Let's take a look at several examples in the present subjunctive. 

y lo dejaremos ahí hasta que hierva.

and we'll leave it there until it boils.

Caption 19, Ana Carolina Ponche navideño

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y el jarabe se lo toma tres veces al día hasta que lo termine.

and you take the syrup three times a day until you finish it.

Caption 28, Cita médica La cita médica de Cleer - Part 2

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Note that these first two examples talk about what someone is going to do until something else happens. Now let's look at some examples of things one won't do until something else happens:

¿Ya? Y no voy a descansar hasta que atrape a esa rata.

OK? And I'm not going to rest until I catch that rat.

Caption 30, Confidencial: El rey de la estafa Capítulo 1 - Part 10

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Hasta que no

Hasta que no functions in almost the exact same way as hasta que in such sentences. However, note that in contrast to hasta que, sentences with hasta que no always involve a double negative (i.e. what can't happen until something else does). Let's take a look:

pero de momento no puedo darle una respuesta hasta que no hayamos entrevistado al resto de candidatos.

but at the moment I can't give you an answer until we have interviewed the rest of the candidates.

Captions 61-62, Negocios La solicitud de empleo - Part 2

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Note that while the literal translation of "hasta que no hayamos entrevistado al resto de candidatos" would be "until we haven't interviewed the rest of the candidates," which wouldn't make sense, the actual meaning is "until we have interviewed the rest of the candidates." The word "no" is therefore an "expletive," which, in grammar, means an "empty word" that might add emphasis but doesn't add meaning. And interestingly, the form of this sentence with merely hasta que would work just as well with no difference in meaning, as follows:

pero de momento no puedo darle una respuesta hasta que hayamos entrevistado al resto de candidatos.

but at the moment I can't give you an answer until we have interviewed the rest of the candidates.

Let's see two more examples:

Pero vamos, eso nadie lo sabe hasta que no estemos en el terreno.

But come on, nobody knows that until we're in the area.

Caption 27, Los Reporteros Caza con Galgo - Part 2

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Sí. -...con él no podemos hacer nada... Ajá. -hasta que no desarrolle bien.

Yes. -...we can't do anything with him... Uh-huh. -until he develops well.

Captions 38-39, Animales en familia Un día en Bioparc: Coatís

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Once again, the literal translations "until we're not" and "until he doesn't develop" would be nonsensical, and hence the sentences have been translated in the same fashion as they would be if the word "no" weren't present since hasta que estemos/hasta que no estemos (until we're) and hasta que desarrolle/hasta que no desarrolle (until he develops) are synonymous. 

In conclusion, although there has been some debate among linguists about the legitimacy of hasta que no, which is more likely to be heard in Spain (to learn more such differences, check out this lesson on A Few Outstanding Differences Between Castilian and Latin American Spanish), the constructions hasta que and hasta que no have been deemed interchangeable when talking about what can't or won't happen until something else takes place. That said, we hope that this lesson has brought some clarity regarding the somewhat confusing hasta que no construction... and don't forget to leave us your suggestions and comments. 

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Did you watch our video about Spanish negation? In it, Marta explains that to make a negative sentence in Spanish, you basically need to place the word no before the verb in any given sentence, like this one from our animated friend Guillermina:

By combining the word no with the word ni (nor) you can negate more than one idea:

As in English, you can use ni (nor) as many times as you want:

There are some other negative words in Spanish: nada (nothing), nadie (nobody), jamás (never), nunca (never), and tampoco (neither). How are these negative words used in Spanish? You place them right before the verb:

You can also combine these words with the word no. In this case you should use no before the verb and the additional negative after it:

As you can see, this leads us to probably the most interesting thing about negation in Spanish: the fact that double and triple negatives are very common:

No me gusta deberle nada a nadie.

I don't like to owe anything to anyone.

Caption 12, El Ausente Acto 2 - Part 5

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Notice how in the previous quote the English translation uses the negative “don’t” first, and then the affirmative “anything” and “anyone” instead of “nothing” and “nobody” (which are the literal equivalent to nada and nadie). This is so because formal written English doesn’t use double negation. By contrast, the general rule in Spanish is not to mix negative and affirmative words in the same sentence. See for example:

Yo no pido nada más

I don't ask for anything else

Caption 14, Enrique Iglesias Alguien soy yo

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Where Spanish uses two consecutive negatives (no and nada), English uses one negative (don't) and one affirmative (anything). Saying "Yo no pido algo más" or "Yo pido nada más" in Spanish is similar to saying “I don’t ask for nothing else” in English.

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