Negative Forms in Present Tense Verbs in Spanish

This section explains Negative Forms in Present Tense Verbs in Spanish. In Spanish, to make a verb negative in the present tense, we simply place the word “no” before the verb. This structure is used for both regular and irregular verbs in all persons (I, you, he/she, etc.).

Forming Negative Sentences in the Present Tense

To create a negative sentence in the present tense, follow this simple structure:

• No + present tense verb

Example:

• Yo hablo (I talk) → No yo hablo (I do not talk)
• Tú comes (You eat) → No tú comes (You do not eat)
• Él vive (He lives) → No él vive (He does not live)

Using “No” to Negate the Verb

“No” is placed directly in front of the verb, and it applies to all forms of the verb, whether regular or irregular. Let’s look at how it works with regular verbs first:

Example 1: -AR Verbs (e.g., hablar - to talk)

• Affirmative: Yo hablo (I talk)
• Negative: No hablo (I do not talk)
• Affirmative: Ella trabaja (She works)
• Negative: No trabaja (She does not work)

Example 2: -ER Verbs (e.g., comer - to eat)

• Affirmative: Tú comes (You eat)
• Negative: No comes (You do not eat)
• Affirmative: Nosotros bebemos (We drink)
• Negative: No bebemos (We do not drink)

Example 3: -IR Verbs (e.g., vivir - to live)

• Affirmative: Ellos viven (They live)
• Negative: No viven (They do not live)
• Affirmative: Ustedes escriben (You write)
• Negative: No escriben (You do not write)

Negative Questions in Spanish

To form a negative question, we simply add “no” after the subject or the verb, and the question tone is indicated by the use of a question mark.

Example:

• ¿No hablas? (Don't you talk?)
• ¿No comes? (Don't you eat?)
• ¿No viven? (Don't they live?)

This is commonly used when you expect the answer to be "no" or to confirm something that is already known to be false.

Higher Tier: Irregular Verbs in the Negative Form

For irregular verbs in the present tense, the rule remains the same. The verb is simply negated with "no" placed before it. Let's look at some higher-tier irregular verbs:

Example 1: Hacer (to do/make)

• Affirmative: Yo hago (I do)
• Negative: No hago (I do not do)
• Affirmative: Nosotros hacemos (We do)
• Negative: No hacemos (We do not do)

Example 2: Ir (to go)

• Affirmative: Tú vas (You go)
• Negative: No vas (You do not go)
• Affirmative: Ellos van (They go)
• Negative: No van (They do not go)

Higher Tier Example: Negative Reflexive Verbs

In the case of reflexive verbs, where the action reflects back on the subject (e.g., despertarse - to wake up), the "no" still comes before the verb and the reflexive pronoun remains unchanged.

Example:

• Affirmative: Yo me despierto (I wake up)
• Negative: No me despierto (I do not wake up)
• Affirmative: Ellos se acuestan (They go to bed)
• Negative: No se acuestan (They do not go to bed)

Key Vocabulary for Negative Sentences:

• No = No (used to negate a verb)
• Nunca = Never
• Nada = Nothing
• Nadie = Nobody
• Ni…ni = Neither…nor
• Jamás = Never (emphasised)

For example:

• No como nunca (I never eat)
• No veo a nadie (I don’t see anybody)
• No me gusta ni el pan ni el queso (I don’t like either bread or cheese)

Summary of Negative Present Tense Formulas:

• No + regular verb (No hablo - I don’t talk)
• No + irregular verb (No hago - I don’t do)
• No + reflexive verb (No me despierto - I don’t wake up)

English and Spanish Translations of Key Negative Phrases:

• I do not talk = No hablo
• You do not eat (informal) = No comes
• He does not live = No vive
• We do not work = No trabajamos
• They do not write = No escriben

Remember to always add "no" directly before the verb in the present tense to make it negative. This rule applies universally to regular and irregular verbs, as well as reflexive verbs. Keep practising to make negative sentences more natural in your speech and writing.