Double Negatives?
Why are there two nos when you answer a question in Spanish? Example: No, no me gusta ___. Why is it that when the answer to a question is negative, two negative words are required?
2 Answers
The example that you gave is, as already said, just the same as you might say in English, No, no me gusta ___. No, I don’t like ___. The first no in this sentence is just emphasising the negative, exactly as it would in English. You could have just said: No me gusta___ I don’t like ___. Putting the word no in front of a statement in Spanish is probably the most common way to make a negative statement. Ejemplos:-
Tengo mucho dinero = I have a lot of money. (I have much money) No tengo mucho dinero. = I don’t have a lot of money. (No I have much money)
Hablo español muy bien. = I speak Spanish very well. (I speak Spanish very well.) No hablo español muy bien.= I don’t speak Spanish very well. (No I speak Spanish very well.)
Me gusta mucho el marisco = I like seafood a lot. No me gusta mucho el marisco. = I don’t like seafood very much.
Sometimes Spanish uses double negatives which is correct in Spanish but wrong in English even although they are used by some English speakers.
No ví a nadie. = I didn’t see anybody. (No I saw nobody.)
No tengo nada. = I don’t have anything. (No I have nothing.)
No hice nada = I didn’t do anything (No I did nothing)
I hope this is helpful.
There are 2 no's in Spanish because one answers the question with a no and the other serves to negate the verb just as we do in English. Lepetitlapin is right.
I will explain it a little more. The way we negate verbs in English is different from the Spanish way. English uses the form do / does not (present), did not (past) and will not (future) with the verb usually. So in Spanish the wording is "No, no me gusta." and in English: "No, I do not (don't) like."
This is why Spanish speakers learning English might say at the beginning. "No speak English." because this is literally what they are saying in Spanish "No hablo inglés"
