Double Negatives in Spanish

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.

double negatives spanish language

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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Topics Grammar Negation

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Confidencial: Broma pesada - Capítulo 1 Part 14

Caption 89

Adv-Intermediate

Spanish Lessons

Topics

Double Negatives in Spanish

Simple Negation in Spanish

Creating Double Negatives in Spanish

Negative Spanish Words

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Additional Spanish Double Negative Formulas

Spanish Triple Negatives and Beyond

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