what is it?
Spanish uses the word no to negate a verb, placing it directly before the verb with no other changes to the sentence. The same word doubles as the short answer «no» to a yes/no question, while «sí» is its affirmative counterpart. When agreeing with what someone has just said, Spanish distinguishes between two adverbs: también («also / too») for agreement with a positive statement, and tampoco («neither / not either») for agreement with a negative one.
when to use it
Negating a verb: place no immediately before any conjugated verb to make the sentence negative. Nothing else in the sentence changes.
Answering yes/no questions: use sí or no as a short answer. When the answer is negative, Spanish typically repeats no before the verb in the full reply: «No, no tengo coche.»
Agreeing with a positive statement: use también when the statement you are agreeing with is affirmative. It corresponds to English «too» or «also».
Agreeing with a negative statement: use tampoco when the statement you are agreeing with is negative. It corresponds to English «neither» or «not either». Because tampoco is itself negative, no additional no is needed before the verb.
formation
The table below shows the basic patterns. The verb slot stands for any conjugated verb.
| function | pattern | example |
|---|---|---|
| sentence negation | no + verb | No tengo hermanos. |
| affirmative short answer | Sí, + verb | Sí, tengo coche. |
| negative short answer | No, no + verb | No, no tengo coche. |
| agree with positive statement | subject + también | A Marta también (le gusta). |
| agree with negative statement (pre-verb) | subject + tampoco + verb | Mi hermano tampoco bebe. |
| agree with negative statement (post-verb) | no + verb + tampoco | No bebo tampoco. |
When tampoco comes before the verb, no no is used. When it comes after the verb, the sentence still needs no before the verb. Both positions are correct; the pre-verb position is more common in everyday speech.
examples in context
common pitfalls
Using también to agree with a negative statement. «también» only follows affirmative statements. After a negative statement, use «tampoco».
✗ No tengo hermanos, y él también. → ✓ No tengo hermanos, y él tampoco.
Combining tampoco with no before the verb. «tampoco» is already negative. Adding «no» before the verb as well produces an ungrammatical double negative in this context.
✗ Tampoco no tengo coche. → ✓ Tampoco tengo coche. or No tengo coche tampoco.
Dropping the second no when answering a negative question. When you answer «no» to a question, the full reply still needs «no» before the verb. Omitting it produces an affirmative sentence.
Question: ¿No tienes coche? ✗ No, tengo. (means «No, I do have one») → ✓ No, no tengo.
Three sentences, graded here. Nothing is saved and no account is needed.
Yo ___ el pasaporte en mi maleta. (tener)
Fill in the blank with the correct form of the verb in parentheses to complete the sentence.