Chapter 2
Topic 3 Negative and Indefinite Words
Negatives Words
Indefinite Words
| nadie | nobody |
| nada | nothing |
| ningún/o/a/os/as | no, no one, none, any |
| nunca, jamás | never |
| tampoco | neither, not either |
| todavía no | not yet |
| ya no | no longer |
| no | no |
| ni | nor |
| ni…ni | neither….nor |
| alguien | somebody |
| algo | something |
| algún/o/a/os/as | some, something |
| siempre | always |
| alguna vez | ever |
| también | also |
| todavía, aún | still |
| todavía, aún | still |
| o | or |
| o… o | either… or |
In Spanish, to make a phrase negative, place a “no” in front of it. Negative and indefinite words can provide additional information, and can be adjectives, pronouns, or adverbs.
Negative Words
Common negative words can refer to people or things and are mostly used with “no.” Unlike the English language, in Spanish, there can be MORE than one negative expression in the same sentence.
- En Pennsylvania, no voy nunca a la playa. In Pennsylvania, I never go to the beach.
- No hay nadie en la playa. There is nobody at the beach.
- No traje ninguna toalla. I didn’t bring a towel.
Indefinite Words
Indefinite words are the opposites of negative words.
- En Pennsylvania siempre voy a la playa. In Pennsylvania, I always go to the beach.
- Hay algunas personas en la playa. There are some people at the beach.
Practícalo…
Rewrite each sentence from the affirmative to negative. Remember, you may have to use more than one negative, and you are still correct!
Ex. Yo quiero un café también, por favor. = Yo no quiero café tampoco.
- Tengo algunos problemas con mi clase.
- He visitado el Caribe.
- Tengo un perro y un gato.
