{ "chapter_id": "35", "slug": "how-negatives-work", "title": "How Negatives Work", "time_range_sec": [9567, 9830], "summary": "Spanish negates with 'no' before the verb and freely uses double or triple negatives; when a negative word (nada, nadie, nunca, ningún, tampoco) follows the verb, 'no' must precede the verb.", "suggested_grammar_note_id": "double-negatives", "rules": [ {"title": "Basic negation", "bullets": ["Place 'no' directly before the conjugated verb.", "Subject pronouns (if used) come before 'no': Yo no como."]}, {"title": "Double negatives", "bullets": ["If a negative word follows the verb, keep 'no' before the verb: No como nada.", "If the negative word goes before the verb, drop the 'no': Nada como (or Nunca como)."]}, {"title": "Personal a", "bullets": ["Use 'a' with alguien / nadie when they are direct objects: ¿Viste a alguien? — No vi a nadie."]}, {"title": "Algún / ningún", "bullets": ["Drop the final -o before a singular masculine noun: algún libro, ningún problema.", "Full forms: alguno/a/os/as, ninguno/a (singular preferred).", "Both agree in gender; ninguno is usually singular in modern Spanish."]}, {"title": "Other pairs", "bullets": ["también ↔ tampoco.", "siempre ↔ nunca / jamás.", "o…o ↔ ni…ni."]} ], "examples": [ {"es": "Yo no hablo francés.", "en": "I do not speak French.", "tags": ["basic"]}, {"es": "Él no habla italiano.", "en": "He does not speak Italian.", "tags": ["basic"]}, {"es": "Nadie come.", "en": "Nobody eats.", "tags": ["pre-verb-negative"]}, {"es": "Ella nunca corre.", "en": "She never runs.", "tags": ["pre-verb-negative"]}, {"es": "Yo no como nada.", "en": "I don't eat anything.", "tags": ["double-negative"]}, {"es": "Tú nunca comes nada.", "en": "You never eat anything.", "tags": ["double-negative"]}, {"es": "Él no sabe nada.", "en": "He doesn't know anything.", "tags": ["double-negative"]}, {"es": "No vi a nadie.", "en": "I didn't see anyone.", "tags": ["personal-a"]}, {"es": "No tengo ningún libro aquí.", "en": "I don't have any book here.", "tags": ["ningún"]}, {"es": "No conozco ninguna tienda por aquí.", "en": "I don't know any store around here.", "tags": ["ninguna"]}, {"es": "Yo tampoco.", "en": "Me neither.", "tags": ["tampoco"]}, {"es": "No quiero ni café ni té.", "en": "I want neither coffee nor tea.", "tags": ["ni-ni"]}, {"es": "Jamás volveré allí.", "en": "I will never go back there.", "tags": ["jamás"]} ], "vocab": [ {"es": "no", "en": "no, not", "pos": "adv"}, {"es": "nada", "en": "nothing", "pos": "phrase"}, {"es": "nadie", "en": "no one", "pos": "phrase"}, {"es": "nunca", "en": "never", "pos": "adv"}, {"es": "jamás", "en": "never (emphatic)", "pos": "adv"}, {"es": "ningún / ninguno/a", "en": "not any, none", "pos": "adj"}, {"es": "tampoco", "en": "neither, not either", "pos": "adv"}, {"es": "ni…ni", "en": "neither…nor", "pos": "phrase"}, {"es": "algo", "en": "something", "pos": "phrase"}, {"es": "alguien", "en": "someone", "pos": "phrase"}, {"es": "algún / alguno/a(s)", "en": "any, some", "pos": "adj"}, {"es": "siempre", "en": "always", "pos": "adv"}, {"es": "también", "en": "also", "pos": "adv"} ], "conjugation_tables": [], "exercises": [ {"sentence": "Yo _____ como pescado.", "correct": "no", "distractor": "nada", "explanation": "Basic negation puts 'no' before the verb."}, {"sentence": "No conozco _____ aquí.", "correct": "a nadie", "distractor": "nadie", "explanation": "Direct-object person needs personal a: a nadie."}, {"sentence": "Ella _____ llega tarde.", "correct": "nunca", "distractor": "no nunca", "explanation": "When the negative word goes before the verb, no extra 'no' is needed."}, {"sentence": "No tengo _____ libro sobre eso.", "correct": "ningún", "distractor": "ninguno", "explanation": "Before a singular masc. noun, use the apocopated ningún."}, {"sentence": "—Yo no quiero ir. —Yo _____.", "correct": "tampoco", "distractor": "también", "explanation": "Negative agreement uses tampoco (me neither)."}, {"sentence": "No quiero _____ café _____ té.", "correct": "ni / ni", "distractor": "o / o", "explanation": "Negative pair is ni…ni."}, {"sentence": "¿Viste a _____ en la fiesta? — No, no vi a _____.", "correct": "alguien / nadie", "distractor": "nadie / alguien", "explanation": "Use alguien in the question and nadie in the negative answer."}, {"sentence": "Ellos no comen _____ por la mañana.", "correct": "nada", "distractor": "no", "explanation": "Double negative: 'no…nada' = don't eat anything."} ], "caveats": "OCR garbled accented letters (vía → via, fui → fui) and dropped some pronouns; sentences were rebuilt to match the on-screen Spanish." }