Double negation is mandatory: no veo nada

Explication

Spanish uses 'negative concord': negative words reinforce each other rather than cancel out. When a negative word (nada, nadie, nunca, ninguno, tampoco) comes after the verb, you must keep no before the verb: no veo nada, no vino nadie, no como nunca carne.

Stacking several negatives is natural and still means a single negation: no le dije nada a nadie ('I didn't tell anyone anything') has three negatives and is perfectly correct.

There are two valid patterns with the same meaning: no + verb + negative (no llamó nadie), or, by fronting the negative, negative + verb with no no (nadie llamó). What's impossible is a bare post-verbal negative without no: *vino nadie is wrong.

Exemples

Règles liées

• Negative words: nada, nadie, nunca, ninguno, tampoco, ni
• Basic negation: no before the verb