Double Negatives in Spanish

Double Negatives in Spanish I cant get no satisfaction. I dont know nobody. You aint seen nothing yet. Because they contain double negatives, the above English sentences are considered substandard (although, of course, people often talk like that in real life). But theres no such prohibition in Spanish. In fact, in many cases, use of double negatives is required. Even triple negatives are possible. Double Negatives in Spanish Double and even triple negatives are not unusual in Spanish even though they are usually considered improper in English.Generally, negative and affirmative elements (such as the equivalents for never and always, respectively) shouldnt be used in the same Spanish sentence.Double-negative Spanish sentences can usually be translated in more than one way, such as I dont know anybody and I know nobody. Double Negatives Not Viewed Negatively in Spanish Grammarians may tell you that English doesnt use double negatives because the two negatives contradict each other and make a positive. (In other words, I dont know nobody is the same as saying I know somebody.) But negatives arent thought of in  that way in Spanish - the negatives are seen as reinforcing rather than contradicting each other. Although sometimes the second negative is used to make a stronger statement just as it is in substandard English, in most cases it is merely part of the structure of the sentence. In Spanish, the most common negative terms in addition to no (no, not) are apenas (barely, scarcely, hardly), jams (never), nadie (nobody), ni (neither, not), ninguno (none, no), ni siquiera (not even), nunca (never), and tampoco (not even, nor, neither). Most of these terms in Spanish have a corresponding affirmative term: algo (something), alguien (somebody), alguno (some), siempre (always), tambià ©n (also), and siquiera (at least). How To Use Double and Triple Negatives As a general rule, a sentence cant include both affirmative and negative terms; where one element of a sentence (subject, verb, object) includes a negative term, the other elements should use a negative term where a term is needed. Also, with the exception of nunca jams (see below), not more than one negative term is used before the verb. By following these rules, it is possible to have one, two, or three negatives in a sentence, as in the following examples: Apenas come. (She barely eats.)Apenas come nada. (She barely eats anything.)No tengo ninguno. (I dont have any.)Nadie sabe eso. (Nobody knows that.)Jams fumo. (I never smoke.)Tampoco comià ³. (She didnt eat either.)Tampoco comià ³ nada. (She didnt eat anything either.)No hablà ³. (He didnt speak.)No dijo nada. (He said nothing.)No le dijo nada a nadie. (He didnt say anything to anybody.)No compro ninguno. (Im not buying any.)Nunca le compra nada a nadie. (She never buys anything for anybody.)No come ni siquiera pan. (He doesnt even eat bread.)Ni siquiera come pan. (He doesnt even eat bread.) Note that in some cases (such as the final two examples in the chart) it is possible to say the same thing in more than one way, with either one negative or two. Generally, that is because in Spanish the subject can come before or after the verb; where a negative subject comes before the verb, a no is not needed with the verb. In this example, ni siquiera no come pan would not be standard Spanish. There generally isnt much difference in meaning between using one negative or two. Note also that various translations to English are possible. Tampoco comià ³ could be translated not only as she didnt eat either but also as neither did she eat. When a verb is used with a negative term, it isnt always necessary to use a negative term after the verb. For example, No tengo amigos (I dont have friends) is grammatically acceptable. What you shouldnt do, though, is use an affirmative term for emphasis. If you want to say I dont have any friends, use a negative term after the verb: No tengo ningà ºn amigo. Other Uses of Double Negatives There are at least two other cases where a double negative is used for added emphasis: Nada as an adverb: When used as an adverb in a negative sentence, nada usually can be translated as at all. No ayuda nada. (He doesnt help at all.)No usa nada los ordenadores. (He doesnt use computers at all.) Nunca jams: When these two negatives meaning never are used together, they reinforce each other. Nunca jams vuelo. (I never, ever fly.)Dijo el cuervo, nunca jams. (Quoth the raven, nevermore.)