Spanish Negation Practice

Q: Isn't the double negative bad grammar?

Not in Spanish. No veo nada ("I don't see nothing") is the only correct way to say "I don't see anything." When the verb is negated with no, every following algo/alguien/siempre must switch to nada/nadie/nunca. Avoiding the second negative — No veo algo — is the actual mistake.

Q: When can I drop the "no"?

Whenever a negative word comes before the verb. Nadie vino, Nunca fumo, Tampoco lo sé and Ni Ana ni Luis vinieron all stand without no. But if the negative word follows the verb, no is obligatory: No vino nadie. Having both before the verb ("Nadie no vino") is always wrong.

Q: What's the difference between nunca and jamás?

They both mean "never" and are usually interchangeable, but jamás is stronger and more emphatic — closer to "never ever." For maximum drama Spanish combines them: nunca jamás. In everyday speech nunca is far more common; jamás adds punch to promises and refusals.

Q: When do I use tampoco instead of también?

También ("also/too") agrees with affirmative statements; tampoco ("neither/not either") agrees with negative ones. —Me gusta. —A mí también. / —No me gusta. —A mí tampoco. The classic error is "también no" for "also not" — Spanish always says tampoco instead.

Q: What's the difference between ningún, ninguno and ninguna?

They're forms of the same word. Use ningún directly before a masculine singular noun (ningún problema), ninguna before a feminine noun (ninguna idea), and ninguno when it stands alone as a pronoun (No tengo ninguno). It stays singular almost always — "ningunos amigos" is the trap; say ningún amigo or just no tengo amigos.

Q: Are these exercises free?

Yes. All 30 exercises run right in your browser, need no signup, and give you a clear explanation after every answer.

Question 1

___ tengo hambre ahora mismo.

Accepted Answer

No. Basic negation puts no directly before the conjugated verb. English "not" doesn't exist in Spanish — no does both jobs.

Question 2

No veo ___ sin mis gafas.

Accepted Answer

nada. After a negative verb, "anything" is nada, not algo. The double negative No veo nada is required, not a mistake.

Question 3

No hay ___ en la oficina hoy.

Accepted Answer

nadie. "Anybody" in a negative sentence is nadie, never alguien. No hay nadie literally says "there isn't nobody" — and that's correct Spanish.

Question 4

Mi abuelo no usa ___ el móvil.

Accepted Answer

nunca. After a negative verb, "ever" becomes nunca. No usa nunca stacks two negatives on purpose — Spanish demands it.

Question 5

—No me gusta el pescado. —A mí ___.

Accepted Answer

tampoco. To agree with a negative statement ("me neither") you need tampoco. También only agrees with affirmative statements.

Question 6

No me gusta ___ el té ni el café.

Accepted Answer

ni. "Neither…nor" is ni…ni, and both parts use ni. Using o or y in a negative pair is the classic English-interference trap.

Question 7

No tengo ___ problema con eso.

Accepted Answer

ningún. Before a masculine singular noun, ninguno shortens to ningún — just like uno → un. Ninguno problema is always wrong.

Question 8

No queda ___ entrada para el concierto.

Accepted Answer

ninguna. Entrada is feminine, so you need ninguna — the shortening to ningún only happens before masculine nouns. And it stays singular.

Question 9

—¿Tienes alguno de estos libros? —No, no tengo ___.

Accepted Answer

ninguno. With no noun after it, the pronoun keeps its full form ninguno. Ningún only appears directly before a masculine singular noun.

Question 10

___ vino a la reunión de ayer.

Accepted Answer

Nadie. When the negative word starts the sentence, the no disappears: Nadie vino, never "No nadie vino." One negative before the verb is enough.

Question 11

___ desayuno antes de las ocho.

Accepted Answer

Nunca. Nunca before the verb replaces the no completely: Nunca desayuno. Adding no as well ("No nunca desayuno") is ungrammatical.

Question 12

¿Quieres ___ de beber?

Accepted Answer

algo. In an ordinary affirmative question, "something/anything" is algo. Nada only appears once the sentence is negative: No quiero nada.

Question 13

¿Hay ___ en casa?

Accepted Answer

alguien. For "anybody" in an affirmative question, use alguien. Its negative partner nadie belongs in negative sentences: No hay nadie.

Question 14

—Me encanta este barrio. —A mí ___.

Accepted Answer

también. The first speaker's sentence is affirmative, so you agree with también ("me too"). Tampoco is only for agreeing with negatives.

Question 15

La película no me gustó ___.

Accepted Answer

nada. After a negative verb, nada can also mean "(not) at all": no me gustó nada = "I didn't like it at all." Nadie is only for people.

Question 16

Estaba tan cansado que ___ siquiera cenó.

Accepted Answer

ni. "Not even" is ni siquiera — the two words work as a set phrase. "No siquiera" is a trap; siquiera pairs with ni.

Question 17

No conozco a ___ en esta ciudad.

Accepted Answer

nadie. In a negative sentence, "anyone" must be nadie, and as a person-object it keeps the personal a: no conozco a nadie.

Question 18

—¿Vas mucho al teatro? —No, casi ___ voy.

Accepted Answer

nunca. Siempre flips to nunca in a negative answer, and casi nunca ("hardly ever") sits before the verb, so no extra no is needed.

Question 19

Which sentence has a negation error?

Accepted Answer

No vi algo interesante en la tele.. After a negative verb you can't keep algo — it must flip to its negative partner: No vi nada interesante. Avoiding the double negative is the English trap.

Question 20

Which sentence uses ninguno incorrectly?

Accepted Answer

No tengo ningunos amigos en Roma.. Ninguno stays singular even when English says "no friends": No tengo ningún amigo or simply No tengo amigos. "Ningunos" is the trap.

Question 21

No pienso volver a ese hotel nunca ___.

Accepted Answer

jamás. For extra drama Spanish stacks the two "nevers": nunca jamás = "never ever." You can't double the same word ("nunca nunca").

Question 22

___ he visto una tormenta así.

Accepted Answer

Jamás. Jamás works exactly like nunca, just more emphatic. Before the verb it stands alone — adding no ("No jamás he visto") is wrong.

Question 23

___ Juan ni Marta saben la verdad.

Accepted Answer

Ni. When ni…ni joins the subjects before the verb, no extra no is needed: Ni Juan ni Marta saben. Starting with "No Juan" is the trap.

Question 24

Se fue de la fiesta sin despedirse de ___.

Accepted Answer

nadie. Sin already carries negative force, so it takes negative words: sin despedirse de nadie. English "without saying goodbye to anyone" tempts you into alguien.

Question 25

___ a mí me convence ese plan.

Accepted Answer

Tampoco. The sentence is negative in meaning ("doesn't convince me either"), so it needs tampoco, and placed first it removes the no entirely.

Question 26

How do you say "Nobody came"?

Accepted Answer

No vino nadie.. Both No vino nadie and Nadie vino are correct — but never both negatives before the verb ("Nadie no vino") and never a bare "Vino nadie."

Question 27

¿Has estado ___ vez en Granada?

Accepted Answer

alguna. "Ever" in an affirmative question is alguna vez. The negative partners (nunca, jamás, ninguna) belong in negative answers: No, nunca.

Question 28

Ella no habla francés, y su hermano ___ lo habla.

Accepted Answer

tampoco. To extend a negative statement to someone else ("doesn't either"), use tampoco. Before the verb it replaces no: tampoco lo habla.

Question 29

Which sentence is wrong?

Accepted Answer

También no me gusta el ruido.. "También no" is a direct translation of "also not" and it's always wrong. Spanish has a dedicated word for that: Tampoco me gusta el ruido.

Question 30

How do you say "I don't even have one euro"?

Accepted Answer

No tengo ni siquiera un euro.. Ni siquiera ("not even") follows the normal rule: after the verb it coexists with no — No tengo ni siquiera un euro. Dropping the no is the trap.

Spanish Negation Practice

The rule, in plain English.

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