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

Q: Where does no go in Spanish?

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

Q: What is the difference between también and tampoco?

También means also or too and agrees with positive statements. Tampoco means neither or not either and agrees with negative statements.

Q: What is the difference between sí and si?

Sí with an accent means yes. Si without an accent usually means if.

Learn how Spanish confirms, denies, agrees and rejects statements with adverbs and negative expressions such as sí, también, claro, ciertamente, efectivamente, no, nunca, jamás, tampoco and ya no.

Last updated: May 2026

Spanish adverbs of affirmation and negation help you say yes, no, also, neither, never and no longer.

Quick answer

Spanish adverbs of affirmation confirm or support a statement: sí “yes”, también “also/too”, claro “of course”, ciertamente “certainly” and efectivamente “indeed”. Spanish adverbs of negation deny or reject a statement: no “no/not”, nunca “never”, jamás “never/ever” and tampoco “neither/not either”. No goes before the conjugated verb: No entiendo. Negative words can also combine with no: No entiendo nada, No viene nunca.

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Why affirmation and negation matter in Spanish

Affirmation and negation are basic building blocks of real conversation. They help you confirm, deny, agree, disagree, add information or reject information: Sí, entiendo, No entiendo, Yo también, Yo tampoco. Spanish negation is especially important because several negative words can appear in the same sentence without cancelling each other.

How to use this page

Use this page after learning basic Spanish adverbs and sentence structure. First study sí, no, también and tampoco, then continue with nunca, jamás, ya no and double negation patterns.

Start with the answer word.
Use sí for “yes” and no for “no/not”: Sí, entiendo, No entiendo.

Use también and tampoco for agreement.
También means “also/too”; tampoco means “neither/not either”.

Place no before the verb.
The basic pattern is no + conjugated verb: No quiero, No sé, No entiendo.

The core system: yes, no, also and neither

Affirmation

Use sí, también, claro and related forms to confirm or agree.

Sí, entiendo. · Yo también. · Claro que sí.

Negation

Use no, nunca, jamás, tampoco and related forms to deny or reject.

No entiendo. · Nunca voy. · Yo tampoco.

Double negation

Spanish often uses no together with another negative word after the verb.

No veo nada. · No viene nunca.

Spanish adverbs of affirmation and negation at a glance

These words help you answer questions, agree with statements, deny information and build negative sentences.

Adverb or expression	Main meaning	Example	English meaning	Grammar note
sí	yes	Sí, entiendo.	Yes, I understand.	Written with accent when it means “yes”.
*también*	also, too	Yo también estudio español.	I also study Spanish.	Used for positive agreement or addition.
*claro*	of course, sure	Claro que sí.	Of course / yes, of course.	Common conversational confirmation.
*ciertamente*	certainly	Ciertamente es importante.	It is certainly important.	More formal or emphatic.
*efectivamente*	indeed, in fact	Efectivamente, tienes razón.	Indeed, you are right.	Confirms a statement or fact.
no	no, not	No entiendo.	I do not understand.	Placed before the conjugated verb.
*nunca*	never	Nunca voy allí.	I never go there.	Can stand before the verb or after it with no.
*jamás*	never, ever	Jamás lo olvido.	I never forget it.	Often stronger or more emphatic than nunca.
*tampoco*	neither, not either	Yo tampoco.	Me neither.	Used for negative agreement.
*ya no*	no longer	Ya no vivo allí.	I no longer live there.	Shows a changed situation.

Memory line: también agrees with positive statements; tampoco agrees with negative statements.

Sí, claro, ciertamente and efectivamente

Spanish uses several words and expressions to affirm, confirm or agree. Sí is the direct answer “yes”. Claro is common in conversation. Ciertamente and efectivamente sound more formal, emphatic or explanatory.

Form	Use	Example	Meaning
sí	Direct yes	Sí, quiero.	Yes, I want to.
claro	Conversational confirmation	Claro que sí.	Of course.
ciertamente	Formal affirmation	Ciertamente es útil.	It is certainly useful.
efectivamente	Confirmation of fact	Efectivamente, era verdad.	Indeed, it was true.

¿Hablas español? — Sí. — Do you speak Spanish? — Yes.
Claro que entiendo. — Of course I understand.
Ciertamente, es una buena idea. — Certainly, it is a good idea.
Efectivamente, el problema era diferente. — Indeed, the problem was different.

También

También means “also” or “too”. It is used to add positive information or to agree with a positive statement.

Yo también estudio español. — I also study Spanish.
Ella vive aquí también. — She lives here too.
También quiero aprender. — I also want to learn.
Me gusta el español. — A mí también. — I like Spanish. — Me too.

Use también with positive agreement. For negative agreement, use tampoco.

No before the verb

The basic Spanish negation word is no. It normally goes before the conjugated verb.

Pattern	Example	English meaning	Note
no + verb	No entiendo.	I do not understand.	Basic negation.
no + verb	No quiero.	I do not want to.	No before the conjugated verb.
no + auxiliary + participle	No he terminado.	I have not finished.	No before he.
no + estar + gerund	No estoy estudiando.	I am not studying.	No before estoy.

Learn full sentence negation here: Spanish Negation.

Nunca and jamás

Nunca means “never”. Jamás also means “never” or “ever” and can sound stronger, more emphatic or more literary depending on context.

Before the verb	After the verb with no	English meaning
Nunca voy allí.	No voy nunca allí.	I never go there.
Nunca lo hago.	No lo hago nunca.	I never do it.
Jamás lo olvido.	No lo olvido jamás.	I never forget it.

Learner rule: if the negative word comes after the verb, use no before the verb: No voy nunca.

Tampoco

Tampoco means “neither” or “not either”. It is used to agree with a negative statement or to add another negative idea.

No entiendo. — Yo tampoco. — I do not understand. — Me neither.
No tengo tiempo tampoco. — I do not have time either.
Ella no viene y él tampoco. — She is not coming and neither is he.
Tampoco quiero salir. — I do not want to go out either.

Do not confuse también and tampoco: también agrees with positive statements, tampoco agrees with negative statements.

Spanish double negation

In English, two negatives often cancel each other. In Spanish, negative words can work together in the same negative sentence. This is normal Spanish grammar.

Spanish sentence	Literal structure	Natural English meaning	Negative word
No veo nada.	Not I see nothing.	I do not see anything.	nada
No conozco a nadie.	Not I know nobody.	I do not know anyone.	nadie
No viene nunca.	Not he/she comes never.	He/she never comes.	nunca
No tengo ningún problema.	Not I have no problem.	I do not have any problem.	ningún

Some of these negative words are not adverbs in a strict grammatical sense. They are included here because they are essential for understanding Spanish negation patterns.

Ya no

Ya no means “no longer” or “not anymore”. It shows that something was true before but is not true now.

Ya no vivo allí. — I no longer live there.
Ya no trabajo los domingos. — I no longer work on Sundays.
Ya no tengo esa computadora. — I no longer have that computer.
Ya no estudiamos juntos. — We no longer study together.

Ya no is very useful because it combines time and negation: a previous situation has changed.

Position of affirmation and negation adverbs

Position depends on the word and its function. No normally goes before the conjugated verb. También and tampoco are more flexible and often appear near the verb phrase or as short answers.

Word	Common position	Example	Meaning
sí	Short answer or sentence beginning	Sí, entiendo.	Yes, I understand.
no	Before conjugated verb	No entiendo.	I do not understand.
también	Flexible	Yo también estudio.	I also study.
tampoco	Flexible	Yo tampoco entiendo.	I do not understand either.
nunca	Before verb or after verb with no	Nunca voy. · No voy nunca.	I never go.

Learn general adverb word order here: Position of Adverbs in Spanish.

Short answers: sí, no, también and tampoco

These words are very common as short answers in conversation.

Statement or question	Short answer	Meaning
¿Hablas español?	Sí.	Yes.
¿Entiendes?	No.	No.
Me gusta el español.	A mí también.	Me too.
No entiendo la pregunta.	Yo tampoco.	Me neither.

Sí with accent vs si without accent

Sí with an accent means “yes”. Si without an accent usually means “if”. This small written accent changes the meaning.

Sí, quiero aprender español. — Yes, I want to learn Spanish.
Si tengo tiempo, estudio español. — If I have time, I study Spanish.
Sí, voy. — Yes, I am going.
Si voy, te llamo. — If I go, I will call you.

When to use Spanish adverbs of affirmation and negation

Answering directly

Use sí and no

Use these for simple yes/no answers and basic confirmation or denial.

Sí, entiendo. · No entiendo.

Agreement

Use también and tampoco

Use también for positive agreement and tampoco for negative agreement.

Yo también. · Yo tampoco.

Strong negation

Use nunca and jamás

Use these to say “never”, with jamás often sounding stronger.

Nunca voy. · Jamás lo olvido.

Typical mistakes with Spanish affirmation and negation

Confusing también and tampoco: use también for positive agreement and tampoco for negative agreement.
Putting no after the verb: say No entiendo, not Entiendo no.
Forgetting double negation: Spanish says No veo nada, not only Veo nada in normal negative sentences.
Confusing sí and si: sí means “yes”; si means “if”.
Using también after a negative statement: after No entiendo, answer Yo tampoco, not Yo también.

Where to go next

After affirmation and negation, continue with Spanish negation, adverb position and sentence structures. These topics explain how negative words work inside full Spanish sentences.

Spanish Negation
Learn complete negative sentence patterns and double negation. Position of Adverbs
Practise where no, nunca, también and tampoco appear. Sentence Structures
Build affirmative, negative and question sentences in Spanish.

Want personal guidance?

If Spanish affirmation and negation feel confusing, individual guidance can help you practise sí, no, también, tampoco, nunca, jamás, ya no, word order and double negation.

Private Spanish Lessons Spanish Tutoring Intensive Course

FAQ: Spanish adverbs of affirmation and negation

What are Spanish adverbs of affirmation?

Spanish adverbs of affirmation confirm or support a statement. Examples include sí, también, claro, ciertamente and efectivamente.

What are Spanish adverbs of negation?

Spanish adverbs of negation deny or reject a statement. Examples include no, nunca, jamás and tampoco.

Where does no go in Spanish?

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

What is the difference between también and tampoco?

También means “also/too” and agrees with positive statements. Tampoco means “neither/not either” and agrees with negative statements.

What is double negation in Spanish?

Spanish can use no together with another negative word after the verb: No veo nada, No conozco a nadie, No viene nunca.

What is the difference between sí and si?

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

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