Why Spanish says “no hay nada”: double negatives
No hay nada: why two negatives make a negative
In Spanish, two negatives do not cancel out. When a negative word like nada (nothing), nadie (nobody) or nunca (never) comes after the verb, Spanish puts no in front of the verb as well: No hay nada que hacer, there is nothing to do.
When the negative word comes first, before the verb, it does the job on its own, and there is no no: Nunca pide perdón, she never apologises. And if one negative word is already in front, any others after the verb follow it, still with no no.
= there is nothing
On this page
The one thing to remember
If nada, nadie or nunca comes after the verb, put no before the verb, unless another negative word is already in front of it. If the negative word comes before the verb, leave no out.
What are the negative words?
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| nada | nothing; anything, after another negative |
| nadie | nobody; anybody, after another negative |
| nunca | never; ever, after another negative |
After the verb: add no
When the negative word follows the verb, and nothing negative comes before it, no goes in front of the verb. English would call that two negatives; Spanish calls it normal.
- Los niños están aburridos; no hay nada que hacer.The kids are bored; there is nothing to do.
- No hay nadie que sepa la respuesta.There is nobody who knows the answer.
Sin, without, works the same way as no: Él se está yendo sin decir nada, he is leaving without saying a word.
Before the verb: no no
When the negative word comes first, it already makes the sentence negative, so no is left out.
- Alicia es tan orgullosa que nunca pide perdón.Alicia is so proud that she never apologises.
- Gabriel es muy malo para los deportes; nunca gana un partido.Gabriel is really bad at sport; he never wins a match.
- Marta es muy callada; casi nunca habla.Marta is very quiet; she hardly ever speaks.
Nunca can also go after the verb, and then no comes back in front. Both orders are correct; the one with nunca first is the more common.
Nothing, or anything?
English has one negative per sentence, so the second Spanish negative often turns into “any” in English: no hay nada is “there is nothing” or “there isn’t anything”. Translate the meaning, not the words, and the double negative stops looking strange.
The words also work on their own, with no verb at all: El hotel está bien, nada especial, the hotel is fine, nothing special. And one everyday phrase is worth learning whole: No pasa nada, don’t worry, it’s fine.
How nemiria teaches this
Negatives are not a topic of their own in nemiria, but they run through its sentences: every example on this page is one of them, from the verb tenses and the Word Pairs.
How should you practise double negatives?
Learn the three words as pairs with no. No… nada, no… nadie, no… nunca. Said together, the double negative soon sounds right.
Check where the word sits. After the verb, add no, unless a negative word is already in front. Before it, leave no out.
Read next
Every example on this page is a sentence from nemiria. Get it on the App Store.