Indefinite and negative expressions

Indefinite and negative expressions in Spanish

This article explains what indefinite and negative expressions are in Spanish, when and why we use them, how they are formed, how they interact with word order and the subjunctive, and common mistakes to avoid. Examples are given first in Spanish with an English translation.

What are indefinite and negative expressions?

Indefinite expressions refer to people, things, amounts, times, or places in a non-specific way: "someone," "something," "some," "a few," "always," etc. Examples in Spanish: alguien, algo, alguno, unos, siempre.

Negative expressions deny existence, presence, or truth: "no one," "nothing," "none," "never," etc. Examples in Spanish: nadie, nada, ninguno, nunca, jamás, tampoco.

Many indefinite words have a natural negative counterpart (alguien — nadie, algo — nada, algún/alguno — ningún/ninguno, siempre — nunca/jamás, también — tampoco). In Spanish it is common and grammatically correct to combine a negation word (often no) with a negative expression in the same clause—this is different from Standard English.

When do I use these expressions?

- Use indefinite expressions when you talk about an unspecified or unknown person/thing/amount/frequency: "Someone called" / "I have some money" / "Always".
- Example: "Alguien llamó." (Someone knocked.)
- Example: "Tengo algunos libros." (I have some books.)

- Use negative expressions when you deny something, say something doesn’t exist, or refuse: "Nobody came" / "I didn’t see anything" / "I will never go."
- Example: "No vino nadie." or "Nadie vino." (Nobody came.)
- Example: "No vi nada." (I didn’t see anything.)

- Use them in questions, offers, conditions, and comparisons. Note: indefinite expressions often trigger the subjunctive in relative clauses when the existence is uncertain (see section on subjunctive).

How do I form indefinite and negative expressions? Common words and patterns

Pronouns and adjectives (people/things)

algo / nada
- algo = something, anything (in affirmative or questions meaning "something"); also "somewhat": "Estoy algo cansado." (I’m somewhat tired.)
- "Encontré algo en la mesa." (I found something on the table.)
- "¿Quieres algo?" (Do you want something?)
- nada = nothing
- "No encontré nada en la mesa." (I didn’t find anything on the table.)
- "Nada es imposible." (Nothing is impossible.)

alguien / nadie
- alguien = someone, somebody
- "Alguien llamó por teléfono." (Someone called on the phone.)
- nadie = nobody, no one
- "No llamó nadie." or "Nadie llamó." (Nobody called.)
- Important: When the direct object is a person, use the personal a: "Vi a alguien." / "No vi a nadie." (I saw someone / I didn’t see anyone.)

algún / alguno(a) / algunos(as) — ningún / ninguno(a)
- algún is the shortened form of alguno before a masculine singular noun. Similarly, ningún is the shortened form of ninguno before a masculine singular noun.
- "¿Hay algún problema?" (Is there any problem?)
- "No hay ningún problema." (There’s no problem.)
- alguno/alguna/algunos/algunas = some, any (as adjectives or pronouns)
- "Algunos estudiantes faltaron." (Some students were absent.)
- Pronoun: "¿Tienes un bolígrafo?" — "Sí, tengo alguno." (Yes, I have one / one of them.)
- ninguno/ninguna = none, not any (usually singular)
- "Ningún estudiante aprobó la prueba." (No student passed the test.)
- "No tengo ninguno." (I have none.)
- Note: You cannot normally use *ningunos*/*ningunas* to negate plural nouns. Use "ningún + singular" or "ninguno de + plural group". E.g. correct: "Ningún libro me interesa." or "Ninguno de mis amigos vino."

unos / unas
- unos / unas = a few, some (plural adjective), or an approximation when used with numbers
- "Unos amigos vinieron a cenar." (A few friends came to dinner.)
- Approximation: "Hace unos 10 minutos." (About 10 minutes ago.)

todo / cada
- todo = all, everything, every (depending on use)
- "Todo el mundo sabe eso." (Everyone knows that.)
- "Todo está listo." (Everything is ready.)
- cada = each, every (always followed by a singular noun)
- "Cada día estudio una hora." (Each day I study one hour.)
- Contrast: "Todos los días estudio una hora." (I study one hour every day.)

otro / otra / otros / otras
- otro(a)(s) = another, other
- "Quiero otro café." (I want another coffee.)
- "Hay otras soluciones." (There are other solutions.)

varios / varias, ciertos / ciertas
- varios/as = several
- "Varios estudiantes preguntaron lo mismo." (Several students asked the same thing.)
- cierto/a(s) = a certain (used when you don’t want to be specific)
- "Cierta persona llamó esta mañana." (A certain person called this morning.)

Adverbs and frequency expressions

siempre / nunca / jamás
- siempre = always
- "Siempre llego a tiempo." (I always arrive on time.)
- nunca = never
- "Nunca he estado en Japón." (I have never been to Japan.)
- jamás = never / ever (stronger than nunca)
- "Jamás olvidaré ese día." (I will never forget that day.)

también / tampoco
- también = also, too (used to agree with a positive statement)
- "Me gusta el chocolate." — "A mí también." (I like chocolate — Me too.)
- tampoco = neither / not either (used to agree with a negative statement)
- "No me gusta el brócoli." — "A mí tampoco." (I don’t like broccoli — Me neither.)

ya / todavía / aún
- ya = already / now (context dependent)
- "Ya lo terminé." (I already finished it.)
- todavía / aún = still / yet; "todavía no" or "aún no" = not yet
- "Todavía no llegó." / "Aún no llegó." (He hasn’t arrived yet.)

ni ... ni ... (neither ... nor) and ni siquiera (not even)
- "No quiero ni café ni té." (I want neither coffee nor tea.)
- "Ni siquiera vino." (He didn’t even come.)
- You can start a sentence with ni for emphasis: "Ni me saludó." (He didn’t even greet me.)

en ninguna parte / en ningún lugar / por ninguna parte
- These mean "nowhere" / "not anywhere":
- "No encontré mi cartera en ninguna parte." (I didn’t find my wallet anywhere.)

Connectors and correction: sino / sino que / no solo ... sino también

- "sino" is used to correct a previous negative clause: "No es rojo, sino azul." (It’s not red, but blue.)
- Use "sino que + [conjugated clause]" when you need a verb after the contrast: "No vino, sino que llamó por teléfono." (He didn’t come; rather, he called on the phone.)
- "no solo ... sino también" = not only ... but also: "No solo canta, sino también baila." (Not only does he sing, he also dances.)

Negation in Spanish: word order and double negatives

- Spanish commonly uses negative words together with the particle "no". This is normal and correct (unlike Standard English which usually avoids double negatives):
- "No vi a nadie." (I didn’t see anyone.) — contains both "no" and "nadie".
- "No dije nada." (I didn’t say anything.)
- "No vino nunca." / "Nunca vino." (He never came.) Both are fine.

- Typical patterns:
- "No + verb + negative word" — e.g., "No quiero nada." (I don’t want anything.)
- Negative word as subject before the verb — e.g., "Nadie vino." (No one came.) In this case you usually don’t need "no", but you may still say "No vino nadie." for emphasis.
- "Ni ... ni ..." for "neither ... nor": "No quiero ni té ni café." or simply "Ni té ni café." as emphasis.

- Use the personal a before indefinite people when required by the verb: "Busco a alguien que me ayude." (I’m looking for someone to help me.) "No conozco a nadie aquí." (I don’t know anyone here.)

- Negative imperatives: Put "no" before the verb in commands: "No hables." (Don’t speak.) With objects: "No digas nada." (Don’t say anything.)

How indefinite expressions affect the subjunctive (when to use subjunctive)

Indefinite expressions commonly trigger the subjunctive in subordinate relative clauses when the speaker is talking about something or someone that is unknown, nonexistent, or desired but not confirmed.

- Unknown or nonexistent antecedent → subjunctive:
- "Busco a alguien que hable francés." (I’m looking for someone who speaks French.) — speaker doesn’t know if that person exists → "hable" (subjunctive).
- "Necesito un libro que explique esto." (I need a book that explains this.) → "explique" (subjunctive) because speaker isn’t referring to a specific known book.
- "No hay nadie que pueda ayudarme." (There isn’t anyone who can help me.) → "pueda" (subjunctive) after a negative.

- Known, existent antecedent → indicative:
- "Conozco a alguien que habla francés." (I know someone who speaks French.) — speaker knows such a person exists → "habla" (indicative).
- "Tengo un libro que explica esto." (I have a book that explains this.) → "explica" (indicative).

- Questions ask about existence; use subjunctive when the existence is uncertain or you are asking if such a thing exists:
- "¿Hay alguien aquí que sepa manejar una grúa?" (Is there anyone here who knows how to operate a crane?) → "sepa" (subjunctive).

Quick rule: If the clause refers to something indefinite, desired, or non-existent, use subjunctive; if it refers to a specific, known, or confirmed thing, use indicative.

Personal "a" with indefinite people

When an indefinite expression refers to a person who is the direct object of a verb that normally takes the personal a, include the a even if the person is indefinite.

- Correct: "Busco a alguien que me ayude." (I’m looking for someone who can help me.)
- Correct: "No vi a nadie en la tienda." (I didn’t see anyone in the store.)
- Incorrect: "No vi nadie en la tienda." — missing personal a.

Note: If "nadie" or another negative word is the subject and appears before the verb, there is no object to mark: "Nadie llegó a tiempo." (No one arrived on time.)

Common mistakes — what to watch for

1) Using "algún"/"alguno" after a negation where "ningún"/"ninguno" is required
- Wrong: "No tengo algún libro."
- Correct: "No tengo ningún libro." or simply "No tengo libros." (I don’t have any books.)

2) Using plural *ningunos*/*ningunas*
- Wrong: "Ningunos libros me interesan."
- Correct: "Ningún libro me interesa." or "Ninguno de los libros me interesa." (None of the books interest me.)

3) Forgetting the personal a with people
- Wrong: "No vi nadie."
- Correct: "No vi a nadie." (I didn’t see anyone.)

4) Confusing "tampoco" and "también"
- Wrong: "No me gusta el té. A mí también."
- Correct: "No me gusta el té. A mí tampoco." (I don’t like tea. Me neither.)

5) Misplacing "ni" or using it with the wrong verb form
- Wrong: "No me gusta ni el pescado y la carne."
- Correct: "No me gustan ni el pescado ni la carne." (I like neither fish nor meat.)

6) Assuming English rules for double negatives apply
- In English "I don’t know nothing" is incorrect in standard usage; in Spanish "No sé nada" is correct and natural.

7) Mistaking when to use subjunctive vs indicative after "algo/alguien/algún"
- "Busco un restaurante que sirva comida vegana." (I’m looking for a restaurant that serves vegan food.) — subjunctive (existence uncertain).
- If the restaurant is known: "Conozco un restaurante que sirve comida vegana." — indicative.

8) Wrong agreement or placement for "alguno/alguna/algún"
- Wrong: "Tengo alguno problema."
- Correct: "Tengo algún problema." or "Tengo algunos problemas." (I have a problem / I have some problems.)

9) Using "no" together with "tampoco" incorrectly
- Wrong: "No quiero tampoco." (awkward)
- Correct: "Tampoco quiero." or "No quiero tampoco." — native speakers usually say "Tampoco quiero."

10) Confusing "sino" and "si no"
- "sino" (contradiction after a negative): "No es azul, sino verde." (It’s not blue but green.)
- "si no" (if not / unless): "Ven ahora, si no, me voy." (Come now; if not, I’ll leave.)

Quick reference — common pairs and patterns

- alguien — nadie (someone — no one)
- "¿Hay alguien ahí?" / "No, no hay nadie." (Is there someone there? / No, there’s no one.)
- algo — nada (something — nothing)
- "¿Quieres algo?" / "No, gracias — no quiero nada." (Do you want anything? / No, thanks — I want nothing.)
- algún / alguno — ningún / ninguno (some/any — none)
- "¿Hay algún problema?" / "No, no hay ningún problema." (Is there any problem? / No, there isn’t any problem.)
- siempre — nunca / jamás (always — never)
- también — tampoco (also — neither)
- ni ... ni ... (neither ... nor ...)
- no + verb + negative word (common pattern)
- "No veo a nadie." "No dije nada." "No fui nunca." (I don’t see anyone; I didn’t say anything; I never went.)

Glossary (simple definitions)

Summary: Key things to remember

- Indefinite words (alguien, algo, alguno, algún, unos, siempre, etc.) refer to non-specific items or people; negative words (nadie, nada, ninguno, ningún, nunca, jamás, tampoco, ni) deny them.
- Spanish commonly uses "no" with negative words (double negatives) — this is correct and natural.
- Use the personal "a" with indefinite people when the verb requires it ("No vi a nadie").
- Indefinite antecedents frequently trigger the subjunctive in relative clauses when the thing or person is unknown or nonexistent: "Busco a alguien que pueda ayudarme." vs "Conozco a alguien que puede ayudarme."
- Watch for common false friends with English: "some/any," "no/none," and remember to use "ningún/ninguno" after negatives.

If you want, I can give a compact cheat-sheet you can print or a one-page list of examples grouped by word (algo/nada, alguien/nadie, etc.).