English

Negation: simply no

The no goes before the verb. Nothing else changes: No és lluny — it is not far. For example: “No parlo català” — I do not speak Catalan. A rule from the Catalan course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.

Updated September 1, 2026 · Lingofly

How it works

The no goes before the verb. Nothing else changes: No és lluny — it is not far.

No hi ha ningú — there is nobody. Two negative words together are normal here, not a mistake.

No sé res means "I know nothing". English drops one of the two; Catalan keeps both.

By example

  • No parlo català
    I do not speak Catalan
  • No és lluny
    It is not far
  • No hi ha ningú
    There is nobody

How the rule settles in your head

A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.

Frequently asked

Negation: how does it work in Catalan?

The no goes before the verb. Nothing else changes: No és lluny — it is not far.

What does it look like in an example sentence Catalan?

“No parlo català” — I do not speak Catalan. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.

Next

Test the rule on examplesPractice