Negative sentences in Spanish
In Spanish, to make a sentence negative simply put no before the verb:
No hago ejercicio.I don't exercise. (lit: I don't do exercise.)
Fernanda no compra pan.Fernanda does not buy bread.
No duermes mucho.You don't sleep much.
Note that if there is an explicit subject in the sentence, expressed with a noun or a pronoun, e.g. Fernanda..., Pedro.., Yo..., Ellos..., the subject comes first:
Nosotros no bebemos y conducimos.We don't drink and drive.
Yo no hablo alemán.I don't speak German.
Vosotros no sois altos.You are not tall.
Elena no quiere café.Elena doesn't want any coffee.
Javier y Mario no juegan al fútbol.Javier and Mario don't play football.
If the sentence has reflexive pronouns: me, te, se, le, nos, os, les, then no goes before them:
No me levanto antes de las ocho.I don't get up before eight.
Tú no te lavas los dientes todos los días.You don't brush your teeth every day.
No se visten antes de las siete.They don't get dressed before seven.
Nosotros no nos duchamos por la mañana.We don't have a shower in the morning.
Notice the reflexive pronouns (used with reflexive verbs) underlined on each example above.
In Spanish, the adverb no is often repeated to emphasise the negation.
¿Vas al médico? – No, no voy al médico.Are you going to the doctor? - No, I am not going to the doctor.
See also Oración negativa and Forming negative sentences using no (negation) with complex verbal structures.
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