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When you’re talking in any language, it’s good to be able to say ‘I don’t want that’, or ‘I didn’t do that’. In Italian, you might already know the word for ‘no’ – no (make sure you say it with an Italian accent!). You may also know that you add non before a verb to make a negative sentence, so if you wanted to say ‘I don’t want an ice cream’ you would say non voglio un gelato.
First let’s look at some common negative expressions.
Niente / nulla – nothing, anything
Nessuno – nobody, no one, anybody, anyone
Mai – never
Neanche, nemmeno, neppure – not even, neither
Né … né – neither … nor
You can use the Italian word for ‘not’ – non– in front of any of these negative expressions. For example,
Non voglio mangiare niente – I don’t want to eat anything
Non sente nulla – She doesn’t hear anything
Non viene nessuno – Nobody is coming
Non c’è nessuno a casa – No one is at home
Non guardo mai la television – I never watch television
Non andiamo mai in vacanza – We never go on holiday
Non mi ha nemmeno risposto – He didn’t even answer me
Non voglio tornare a casa / Neanche io!
I don’t want to go home / Me neither!
Non mi va di studiare né latino né matematica – I don’t feel like studying Latin or Maths
Non ho né la sciarpa né i guanti, ho freddo! – I haven’t got a scarf or gloves, I’m cold!
There are other common expressions, such as
Non … ancora – not yet
Non … più – no longer, no more, not anymore
Non … affatto / non … mica – not at all
Here are some examples:
Non siete ancora arrivati? – Are you not there yet?
Non ho più sete – I am not thirsty anymore
Non l’ho mica detto! – I didn’t say it at all!
It is not unusual to use three or four negatives in one sentence, such as this:
Flavia non dice mai niente a nessuno – Flavia never says anything to anyone
There are some common negative expressions which can be useful to learn, here is a selection:
Neanche per sogno! – Not even in your dreams!
Neanche per scherzo! – Don’t even joke about it! / Forget it!
A final note, to watch out for the false negative finché non, which isn’t a negative at all! It means ‘until’ or ‘as long as’. Here is an example:
Non uscirai finché non avrai finito di studiare – You won’t go out until you have finished studying
Non ha mai letto niente. (She read nothing.)
Non ho visto nessuna carta stradale. (I didn't see any street signs.)
Non abbiamo trovato né le chiavi né il portafoglio. (We found neither the keys nor the wallet.)
Note that in the case of the negative expressions non...nessuno, non...niente, non...né...né, and non...che, they always follow the past participle. Observe the following examples:
Non ho trovato nessuno. (I haven't found anyone.)
Non abbiamo detto niente. (We haven't said anything.)
Non ha letto che due libri. (She has read only two books.)
Non ho visto niente di interessante al cinema. (I didn't see anything of interest at the cinema.)
When using the combinations non...mica and non...punto, mica and punto always come between the auxiliary verb and the past participle:
Non avete mica parlato. (They haven't spoken at all.)
Non è punto arrivata. (She hasn't arrived at all.)
When using the expressions non...affatto (not at all), non...ancora (not yet), and non...più (no more, no longer), the words affatto, ancora, or più can be placed either between the auxiliary verb and the past participle or after the past participle:
Non era affatto vero. Non era vero affatto. (It wasn't true at all.)
Non mi sono svegliato ancora. Non mi sono ancora svegliato. (I hadn't woken yet.)
Non ho letto più. Non ho più letto. (I no longer read.)
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