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not, no, no way, no, refusal
/no/
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The basic Spanish negative, used to negate a clause, refuse or disagree, and name a refusal, negative answer, or no vote.
Examples
No, eso no fue lo que pasó.
No, that is not what happened.
Le pregunté si estaba listo y dijo que no.
I asked him if he was ready and he said no.
¡No! No toques eso.
No! Do not touch that.
El niño gritó no y salió corriendo.
The child shouted no and ran away.
Ella no vive aquí.
She does not live here.
Similar words
jamás
ni
nunca
rechazo
denegación
ni hablar
tampoco
de ninguna manera
veto
oposición
Meanings
Usage
Use no directly before the conjugated verb or before the whole negative phrase.
Examples
Yo no entiendo la pregunta.
I do not understand the question.
Ella no vive aquí.
She does not live here.
No hay leche en la nevera.
There is no milk in the fridge.
Todavía no hemos terminado.
We have not finished yet.
No quiero café, sino té.
I do not want coffee, but tea.
Él no dijo nada durante la reunión.
He said nothing during the meeting.
Common mistakes
The negative word goes before the verb, and Spanish does not remove later negative words such as nada or nadie.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| Yo entiendo no la pregunta.
| Yo no entiendo la pregunta.
|
| Él no dijo algo.
| Él no dijo nada.
|
| No quiero café, pero té.
| No quiero café, sino té.
|
Usage
Use no as a direct answer, and add a polite phrase when the refusal needs to sound softer.
Examples
¿Quieres venir? No, gracias.
Do you want to come? No, thank you.
¡No! No toques eso.
No! Do not touch that.
Cuando le ofrecieron el trato, respondió no.
When they offered him the deal, he answered no.
Le pregunté si estaba listo y dijo que no.
I asked him if he was ready and he said no.
No, eso no fue lo que pasó.
No, that is not what happened.
El niño gritó no y salió corriendo.
The child shouted no and ran away.
Common mistakes
A bare no can sound abrupt, and punctuation should match whether it is a calm answer or a strong protest.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| No gracias.
| No, gracias.
|
| ¡No, gracias!
| No, gracias.
|
| Dijo que sí no.
| Dijo que no.
|
Similar words
negativa
rechazo
ni hablar
de ninguna manera
Usage
Use el no when referring to the answer or position itself, especially in decisions, voting, or permission.
Examples
Su no fue claro y definitivo.
Her no was clear and final.
El comité escuchó varios noes antes de votar.
The committee heard several noes before voting.
La campaña del no ganó por poco.
The no campaign won narrowly.
A veces un no protege mejor que una excusa.
Sometimes a no protects better than an excuse.
Recibimos un no de la oficina central.
We received a no from headquarters.
El no de los vecinos detuvo el proyecto.
The neighbors’ no stopped the project.
Common mistakes
As a noun, no takes an article and can pluralize as noes.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| Su no fue claras.
| Su no fue claro.
|
| Recibimos un no de la oficina.
| Recibimos un no de la oficina.
|
| Hubo muchos nos en la votación.
| Hubo muchos noes en la votación.
|
Similar words
negativa
rechazo
oposición
veto
denegación
Usage
Use no before the verb to negate a clause, by itself to refuse or disagree, and as el no when naming a negative answer.
Common mistakes
No entiendo puts no before the verb, and Spanish often keeps another negative word after it, as in no dijo nada.
Etymology
From Latin non, meaning not or no.
FAQ
What does no mean in Spanish?
No means not before a verb, or no when used as an answer.
Where does no go in a Spanish sentence?
It usually goes before the verb, as in No entiendo.
Can Spanish use two negatives?
Yes. No dijo nada is standard Spanish and means he or she said nothing.
Yes. No can be a complete answer or refusal.
El no is the noun form, meaning a no, a refusal, or opposition in a vote.
What is the plural of no as a noun?
The usual plural is noes.
What is the opposite of no?
The opposite is sí, meaning yes.
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