15.3 Expressions requiring a negative
A number of other expressions require a negative element to follow them.sin+ infinitive, sin que+ clause:Salí sin despedirme de nadie.
I left without saying goodbye to anybody.
Comparatives:
Sabe cocinar mejor que nadie.
He/she can cook better than anyone.
Negative element included as a prefix in a word, e.g. in-, des-:
Es casi imposible conocer a nadie.
It’s almost impossible to get to know anyone.15.4No sino
No... sino... expresses a contrast or correction. The two ideas linked by no and
sino are mutually exclusive. No sólo... sino también... is a frequent pattern
(también‘also’ corrects sólo‘only’). Before a clause, sino que is used.
No fue tu madre quien me lo dijo, sino tu hermana.
It wasn’t your mother who told me, but your sister.
Me robó no sólo la cartera sino también la chaqueta.
He/she stole not only my wallet, but also my jacket.
No sólo era estúpido, sino que también era travieso.
He was not only stupid but he was also naughty.15.5 Negation of adjectives
There are a number of ways of negating adjectives in Spanish, all of which have slightly
different connotations (see 32 ).15.6 Negative questions
A negative question may expect the answer ‘yes’, or have a more polite overtone:
¿No tienes miedo?
Aren’t you afraid?¿No me podrías dejar cien pesos?
Couldn’t you lend me a hundred pesos?31.4 (p. 188); 18.1.5 (p. 85)
NEGATION 15.3