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Spanish greetings
How to say hello and goodbye
Question words in Spanish
Who? What? When? Where? Why? How to ask questions in Spanish
Formal vs. Informal "You"
The two kinds of address and when to use each one
Spanish plurals
How to get more than one of something
Definite and indefinite articles
The difference between "the" and "a", and how to say these in Spanish
Negating statements
How to say you don't know what you're doing
Adjectives in Spanish
Where to put them and how to use them
Ser vs Estar: The two kinds of "to be"
How to know when to say yo soy vs. when to say yo estoy.
Weather vocabulary
The ultimate icebreaker
Feelings and moods
How to talk about how you're feeling using the verbs estar and sentirse
Spanish false cognates ("false friends")
9 Spanish words that seem similar to English, but are actually dangerously different
Telling the time
How to ask and give the time in Spanish
¿Dónde está? or ¿Dónde hay?
How to know whether to use estar or haber when talking about something's existence
Comparisons of inequality
Bigger, smaller, faster, slower: How to compare two things and use superlatives in Spanish
Directions in Spanish
How to ask directions, and a few common prepositions that will help you get there
Being sore or sick
How to talk about illnesses and afflictions in Spanish

Negating in Spanish

How to say "not", "don't", and other (negative) things

This is going to be one of the easiest rules you learn in Spanish. (You actually probably already know it.)

This is one of the instances where the Spanish is simpler than the English, and it'll make you look at the English and think: "Shucks. I know that? I must be a freakin' genius."

In English, when you go from saying "Yes, I will take out the trash" to "No, I will not take out the trash" (aside from being a jerk) you're negating the auxiliary verb: will. Will becomes "will not" or "won't". Nothing to do with the trash at all — it's all about that auxiliary verb.

But don't worry if you don't know what that all means, because in Spanish you don't need it.

In Spanish all we have to do is put a "no" in front of the main verb.

Affirmative
Play
Yo tengo planes para mañana
I (do) have plans for tomorrow.
Negative
Play
Yo no tengo planes para mañana
I don't have plans for tomorrow.
Affirmative
Play
Ellos saben lo que están haciendo
They (do) know what they're doing.
Negative
Play
Ellos no saben lo que están haciendo
They don't know what they're doing

Answering questions with a negative

If you need to answer a question with a "no", you can either answer simply with a "no", or follow it up with a negation like what we did above.

(Although note that there's a good chance the verb might need to be conjugated depending on who you're talking about... it might not be quite as simple as repeating the question back to the asker with a "no" sandwiched in there.)

Play
¿Sabes cómo conducir?
Do you know how to drive?
Play
No, no sé.
No, I don't know.
Play
¿Estás en casa de tu amigo?
Are you at your friend's house?
Play
No, no estoy ahí.
No, I am not there.
Play
¿Vendrás mañana?
Will you come tomorrow?
Play
No, no vendré.
No, I won't come.
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Free Spanish Lessons

Spanish greetings
Question words in Spanish
Formal vs. informal "you"
Spanish plurals
Definite and indefinite articles in Spanish
Negating statements
How to use adjectives in Spanish
Ser vs Estar: The two kinds of "to be"
Weather vocabulary!
Feelings and moods
Telling the time
¿Dónde está? or ¿Dónde hay?
Comparisons of inequality
Directions in Spanish
Being sore or sick

Spanish Children's Stories

Pollito Tito
Chicken Little
El Pájaro y la Ballena
The Bird and the Whale
Los Tres Cerditos
The Three Little Pigs
Ricitos de Oro y Los Tres Osos
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Caperucita Roja
Little Red Riding Hood
Spanish false cognates ("false friends")

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