Negation: just no
Negation is one word in front of the verb, and nothing else moves: no entiendo, no hay agua. For example: “No hablo español” — I don't speak Spanish. A rule from the Spanish course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Negation is one word in front of the verb, and nothing else moves: no entiendo, no hay agua.
Two negatives are the norm here, not a slip. No tengo nada is literally 'I don't have nothing', and that is the correct sentence. Where English switches to 'anything', Spanish keeps the negative word and adds no in front: no veo nada.
By example
- No hablo españolI don't speak Spanish
- No está lejosIt's not far
- No hay nadieThere's nobody here
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 Spanish?
Negation is one word in front of the verb, and nothing else moves: no entiendo, no hay agua.
What does it look like in an example sentence Spanish?
“No hablo español” — I don't speak Spanish. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.