In English when we want to make a positive statement negative we use the words ‘no’ or ‘not’. On the other hand in Spanish the word “no” is used to translate both of the English words ‘no’ and ‘not.’

In Spanish always remember to put ‘no‘ in front of the verb: No quiero comer. (I don’t want to eat.).

In English there are many other negative words besides ‘no’ – for example, ‘nothing,’ ‘nobody,’ ‘never,’ ‘none,’ and ‘neither.’ In Spanish these words also exist, but they must be positioned correctly within a sentence: Generally words like nunca (never), nadie (nobody), nada (nothing), follow the verb. If they do, they need an extra ‘no‘ before the verb.

• No come nunca entre comidas – I never eat between meals
• No vendrá nadie aquí. Nobody will come here.
• No tengo nada en el bolso. I don’t have anything in the bag.

If you want to emphasize the negative part of the sentence – You never drink wine or nobody ever comes to see you, put the negative word in front of the verb: nunca tomo vino (I never drink wine), nadie viene a verle (nobody ever comes to see you).

No….ni….ni means neither…nor/either…or. For example, No veo ni a Pablo ni a Luz (I can’t see Pedro or Luz.).

Tiquismo of the week:
Romana is a type of scale to weigh oneself in Costa Rica. The correct Spanish word is báscula.