No vino nadie.
No one came.32.4.5 Nunca, jamás
Nunca and jamás, ‘never’, are the exact opposites of siempre, ‘always’, all of which
indicate frequency with regard to the action expressed by the verb. They are equally
frequent in initial position, before the verb, or after the verb in a double negative
construction. Jamás is less frequent and stronger than nunca.
Nunca/jamás nos visitan or No nos visitan nunca/jamás.
They never visit us.
Nunca/jamás sale or No sale nunca/jamás.
He/she never goes out.32.4.6 Ninguno
Ninguno, ‘nobody’, ‘no’, ‘neither’, ‘none’, ‘any’, can refer to personal or non-personal
nouns. It can come before a noun or it can be used as a substitute for a noun which has
already been mentioned or which is understood. When used before a masculine noun,
ninguno becomes ningún.
No hay ningún autobús esta tarde.
There isn’t any bus this afternoon.
No veo ninguna solución.
I don’t see any solution.
¿Conoces a alguna de ellas? No, a ninguna.
Do you know any of them? No, none.
Ninguno de los dos lo sabía or No lo sabía ninguno de los dos.
Neither of them knew it.Ninguno de ellos aceptó or No aceptó ninguno de ellos.
None of them/nobody accepted.
Ninguno me gusta or No me gusta ninguno.
I don’t like any.
Note that in the last three sentences, in which ninguno is part of the subject of the
sentence, this can be placed before or after the verb. In initial position, the emphasis is
on ninguno.5.1 (p. 24);^15 (p. 57)
32.4.7 Set phrases
¡Qué va! Of course not! (especially Spain)
¡De ningún modo/
ninguna manera! Certainly not!
¡Ni hablar! Out of the question!
¡Ni pensarlo/soñarlo! Not by any means!
¡Por nada del mundo! Not for all the world!Other ways of expressing negation 32.4