MundoDele Spanish Grammar

Spanish Adverbs of Affirmation and Negation: Sí, No, También and Tampoco

Learn how to confirm, deny, agree and disagree in Spanish with sí, no, también, tampoco, nunca, jamás, ya no, claro, ciertamente and efectivamente.

Open the overview Try the exercises
Basic contrast: use también to add or agree with positive information and tampoco to add or agree with negative information.
Spanish affirmation and negation with sí no también tampoco nunca jamás and ya no
Spanish affirmation and negation help you confirm, reject, agree and build negative sentences.

Definition

What are Spanish adverbs of affirmation and negation?

Spanish words and expressions of affirmation confirm a statement, express agreement or add positive information. Words and expressions of negation deny information, reject a statement or add a negative idea.

Direct affirmation

Sí, entiendo.
Yes, I understand.

Direct negation

No entiendo.
I do not understand.

Agreement

Yo también. — Me too.
Yo tampoco. — Me neither.

Not every negative word is technically an adverb.

Words such as nadie, nada and ninguno have other grammatical functions. They are included because they are essential for building Spanish negative sentences.

Overview

Spanish affirmation and negation at a glance

Word or expression Main meaning Spanish example English meaning Usage note
sí yes Sí, entiendo. Yes, I understand. Written with an accent when it means “yes”.
también also, too Yo también estudio español. I also study Spanish. Adds or agrees with positive information.
claro of course, certainly Claro que sí. Of course. Common conversational confirmation.
ciertamente certainly Ciertamente es importante. It is certainly important. More formal or emphatic.
efectivamente indeed, that is correct Efectivamente, tienes razón. Indeed, you are right. Confirms information or a previous statement.
no no, not No entiendo. I do not understand. Normally placed before the conjugated verb.
tampoco neither, not either Yo tampoco entiendo. I do not understand either. Adds or agrees with negative information.
nunca never Nunca voy allí. I never go there. Can precede the verb or follow it with no.
jamás never, ever Jamás lo olvidaré. I will never forget it. Often stronger or more emphatic than nunca.
ya no no longer, not anymore Ya no vivo allí. I no longer live there. Shows that a previous situation has changed.
todavía no not yet Todavía no he terminado. I have not finished yet. Shows that something is expected later.
Remember: también → positive addition or agreement · tampoco → negative addition or agreement

Affirmation

Sí, claro, ciertamente and efectivamente

Spanish uses several words and expressions to confirm information. The best choice depends on whether the response is direct, conversational, formal or corrective.

Direct answer

Sí

Use sí for a direct positive answer.

¿Hablas español? — Sí.
Sí, quiero ir.

Conversational confirmation

Claro

Use claro, claro que sí or por supuesto for “of course”.

Claro que entiendo.
Por supuesto que puedes venir.

Confirmation of information

Efectivamente

Use efectivamente to confirm that information is correct.

Efectivamente, era verdad.
Efectivamente, tienes razón.

Expression Typical use Example Register
sí Direct positive answer Sí, voy. Neutral
claro Natural confirmation Claro que sí. Conversational
por supuesto Strong confirmation Por supuesto que puedes venir. Neutral
ciertamente Emphasised certainty Ciertamente es difícil. Formal
efectivamente Confirming a fact Efectivamente, ocurrió ayer. Neutral to formal

Positive and negative agreement

También and tampoco

También and tampoco are often translated with “too”, “also”, “either” or “neither”. The essential difference is whether the original information is positive or negative.

También: positive agreement

Use también after a positive statement.

Estudio español. — Yo también.
I study Spanish. — Me too.

María vive aquí y Pedro también.
María lives here and Pedro does too.

Tampoco: negative agreement

Use tampoco after a negative statement.

No entiendo. — Yo tampoco.
I do not understand. — Me neither.

María no viene y Pedro tampoco.
María is not coming and Pedro is not either.

Original statement Agreement English meaning
Me gusta el español. A mí también. I like Spanish. — Me too.
Quiero viajar. Yo también. I want to travel. — Me too.
No me gusta el café. A mí tampoco. I do not like coffee. — Me neither.
No quiero salir. Yo tampoco. I do not want to go out. — Me neither.
Do not answer a negative statement with también.

After No entiendo, the normal agreement is Yo tampoco, not Yo también.

Basic negation

No before the conjugated verb

The basic Spanish negative pattern is no + conjugated verb. The word no normally comes directly before the conjugated verb, including auxiliaries.

Structure Spanish example English meaning
no + verb No entiendo. I do not understand.
no + verb + infinitive No quiero salir. I do not want to go out.
no + auxiliary + participle No he terminado. I have not finished.
no + estar + gerund No estoy trabajando. I am not working.
no + object pronoun + verb No lo sé. I do not know it.
no + reflexive pronoun + verb No me acuerdo. I do not remember.
Object and reflexive pronouns stay between no and the verb.

No lo entiendo.
No me levanto temprano.
No se lo quiero decir.

Continue with: Spanish Negation .

Negative words

Nunca, jamás, nadie, nada and ninguno

Spanish uses several negative words to express “never”, “nobody”, “nothing”, “none” and related meanings.

Negative word Meaning Before the verb After the verb
nunca never Nunca voy allí. No voy allí nunca.
jamás never, ever Jamás lo olvidaré. No lo olvidaré jamás.
nadie nobody, no one Nadie vino. No vino nadie.
nada nothing, not anything Nada funciona. No funciona nada.
ninguno none, not any Ninguno sirve. No sirve ninguno.
en ninguna parte nowhere En ninguna parte está mejor. No lo encuentro en ninguna parte.
Position rule:
negative word before the verb → normally no additional no
negative word after the verb → normally use no before the verb

Sentence structure

Spanish double negation

Spanish allows and often requires more than one negative word in the same sentence. The negative words reinforce one another; they do not normally cancel one another.

Spanish sentence Natural English meaning Structure
No veo nada. I do not see anything. no + verb + nada
No conozco a nadie. I do not know anyone. no + verb + nadie
No viene nunca. He or she never comes. no + verb + nunca
No tengo ningún problema. I do not have any problem. no + verb + ningún + noun
No quiero ni café ni té. I want neither coffee nor tea. no + verb + ni...ni
No dijo nada a nadie. He or she did not say anything to anyone. no + verb + nada + nadie
The sentence can begin with a negative word.

When the negative word comes before the verb, the additional no normally disappears:

Nadie vino.
Nada funciona.
Nunca lo hago.

Do not copy the English structure word for word.

English usually says “I do not see anything”. Spanish normally says No veo nada, with two negative elements.

Never

Nunca and jamás

Both nunca and jamás can mean “never”. Jamás often sounds stronger, more emphatic or more dramatic.

Nunca

Neutral and very common in everyday Spanish.

Nunca llego tarde.
I never arrive late.

No trabajo nunca los domingos.
I never work on Sundays.

Jamás

Often stronger or more emphatic.

Jamás lo haría.
I would never do that.

No lo olvidaré jamás.
I will never forget it.

Nunca before the verb does not need no.

Correct: Nunca voy allí.
Correct: No voy allí nunca.
Incorrect: No nunca voy allí.

Change and expectation

Ya no and todavía no

Ya no and todavía no both contain negation, but they describe different relationships with time.

Ya no: no longer

A situation was true before but is not true now.

Ya no vivo allí.
I no longer live there.

Ya no trabajo los sábados.
I do not work on Saturdays anymore.

Todavía no: not yet

Something has not happened, but it may happen later.

Todavía no he terminado.
I have not finished yet.

Todavía no llega.
He or she has not arrived yet.

Remember: ya no → a previous situation has ended · todavía no → an expected event has not happened yet

Spelling

Sí with an accent and si without an accent

The written accent distinguishes the affirmative word sí from the conditional conjunction si.

Form Meaning Spanish example English meaning
sí yes Sí, quiero aprender. Yes, I want to learn.
si if Si tengo tiempo, estudio. If I have time, I study.
sí yes Sí, voy mañana. Yes, I am going tomorrow.
si if Si voy, te llamo. If I go, I will call you.

Word order

Where do affirmation and negation words go?

Word Common position Spanish example English meaning
sí Short answer or beginning Sí, entiendo. Yes, I understand.
no Before conjugated verb No entiendo. I do not understand.
también Before or after the main idea Yo también estudio. I also study.
tampoco Before the verb or as a short answer Yo tampoco entiendo. I do not understand either.
nunca Before verb or after it with no Nunca voy. / No voy nunca. I never go.
ya no Before conjugated verb Ya no trabajo allí. I no longer work there.

Continue with: Position of Adverbs in Spanish .

Exercises

Practice Spanish affirmation and negation

Choose también or tampoco

  1. Estudio español. — Yo ___.
  2. No entiendo. — Yo ___.
  3. María quiere venir y Pedro ___.
  4. María no viene y Pedro ___.
Show answers

1. también
2. tampoco
3. también
4. tampoco

Put no in the correct position

  1. Entiendo la pregunta.
  2. Lo quiero comprar.
  3. He terminado.
  4. Me levanto temprano.
Show answers

1. No entiendo la pregunta.
2. No lo quiero comprar.
3. No he terminado.
4. No me levanto temprano.

Complete the negative sentence

  1. No veo ___.
    anything
  2. No conozco a ___.
    anyone
  3. No voy allí ___.
    never
  4. No tengo ___ problema.
    any
Show answers

1. nada
2. nadie
3. nunca
4. ningún

Correct the sentence

  1. Entiendo no.
  2. No nadie vino.
  3. No nunca trabajo allí.
  4. No entiendo. — Yo también.
Show answers

1. No entiendo.
2. Nadie vino. or No vino nadie.
3. Nunca trabajo allí. or No trabajo allí nunca.
4. No entiendo. — Yo tampoco.

Choose ya no or todavía no

  1. I lived there before, but I do not live there now.
  2. I expect to finish, but I have not finished yet.
  3. She previously worked here, but she does not now.
  4. The train has not arrived yet.
Show answers

1. Ya no vivo allí.
2. Todavía no he terminado.
3. Ya no trabaja aquí.
4. El tren todavía no ha llegado.

Translate into Spanish

  1. Yes, I understand.
  2. I do not know anyone here.
  3. She never arrives late.
  4. I do not want coffee or tea.
Show possible answers

1. Sí, entiendo.
2. No conozco a nadie aquí.
3. Nunca llega tarde.
4. No quiero ni café ni té.

Continue learning

Related Spanish grammar lessons

Spanish adverbs overview
Complete overview

Spanish Adverbs

Review adverbs of time, place, manner, quantity, frequency, doubt, affirmation and negation.

Open lesson
Spanish adverbs of doubt quizá tal vez and probablemente
Possibility

Adverbs of Doubt

Learn quizá, tal vez, probablemente, posiblemente and a lo mejor.

Open lesson
Spanish adverbs of time hoy ayer mañana ahora ya and todavía
Time expressions

Adverbs of Time

Review ya, todavía, ahora, antes, después and related expressions.

Open lesson
Position of adverbs in Spanish sentences
Word order

Position of Adverbs

Learn why no comes before the verb and where también, tampoco and nunca appear.

Open lesson

Common errors

Common mistakes with Spanish affirmation and negation

  • Putting no after the verb: say No entiendo, not Entiendo no.
  • Confusing también and tampoco: use también after positive information and tampoco after negative information.
  • Forgetting no before a following negative word: say No veo nada and No conozco a nadie.
  • Adding no when the negative word already comes first: say Nadie vino, not No nadie vino.
  • Using no nunca before the verb: say Nunca voy or No voy nunca.
  • Confusing sí and si: sí means “yes”; si means “if”.
  • Confusing ya no and todavía no: ya no means “no longer”; todavía no means “not yet”.
  • Translating Spanish double negation literally: No veo nada naturally means “I do not see anything”.

Frequently asked questions

Questions about Spanish affirmation and negation

What are Spanish adverbs of affirmation?

They confirm or support a statement. Common examples include sí, también, claro, ciertamente and efectivamente.

What are Spanish adverbs of negation?

They deny a statement or express negative agreement. Common examples include no, nunca, jamás, tampoco and ya no.

Where does no go in a Spanish sentence?

It normally goes before the conjugated verb: No entiendo, No quiero salir and No he terminado.

What is the difference between también and tampoco?

También adds or agrees with positive information. Tampoco adds or agrees with negative information.

How does Spanish double negation work?

When a negative word follows the verb, Spanish normally also uses no before the verb: No veo nada and No conozco a nadie.

What is the difference between sí and si?

Sí with an accent means “yes”. Si without an accent normally means “if”.

Practice and support

Practise positive and negative Spanish sentences

Affirmation and negation become easier when you practise short answers, agreement, word order and negative words inside complete sentences.

Grammar support

Spanish Tutoring

Work on negation, double negation, word order and individual grammar difficulties.

Individual lessons

Private Spanish Lessons

Practise agreement, disagreement and negative responses through conversation and writing.

Intensive learning

Intensive Spanish Course

Combine grammar with structured speaking, listening and sentence-building activities.

Private Spanish lessons Back to Spanish adverbs
MundoDele Spanish learning, education and culture

About MundoDele

Spanish learning for education, work and real communication

MundoDele connects online Spanish courses, DELE preparation, Business Spanish and cultural context into a personal Spanish learning platform.

The grammar guides explain Spanish with practical examples, clear comparisons and complete sentences.

Spanish Grammar Spanish Tutoring Private Lessons Intensive Course
Scroll to Top