No, I don't

Question

One of the nice things about English is that we can use auxiliary verbs to form sentences, without mentioning the main verb. For example:

-You would go broke if you bought all the cars you wanted.
-No, I wouldn't.

-She has insulted everyone in the office.
-No, she hasn't.

-You always cry when you watch this movie.
-No, I don't.

I know that I could say "No es cierto" for all of these replies in Spanish, but I'm wondering if there are other ways to contradict statements in a brief way.

This construction is also used in the positive.

-Make sure you bring the cake tomorrow.
-I will.

-Once they've paid, we can leave.
-They already have.

-You should always carry a flashlight in your car.
-I do.

What about in these cases? Do we have to use the main verb here'

Answer 1

Thanks, Lazarus. Those are some good options to remember. I need to stop thinking in English, but I speak Spanish so rarely that it is nearly impossible to do so. If I weren't married with kids, I would go live in a Spanish-speaking country for a couple of years and be done with it!

Answer 2

*Te arruinarías si compraras todos los coches que quisieras.
No. / ¡Qué va! / Lo dudo.

Ha insultado a todos en la oficina.
No. / ¡Qué va! / Lo dudo/ Aún no.

Siempre lloras cuando ves esta película.
No. / No es verdad / ¡Qué va! / ¡Mentira!
*
In positive sentences you can use "hacer" in many cases:

Cuando paguen podemos irnos.
Ya lo han hecho.

Deberías llevar siempre una linterna en el coche.
(Ya) llevo una / ya tengo una

Answer 3

Thanks, iker. I guess you have confirmed that there is no corresponding brief way to reply to such statements in Spanish, and that we have to use the main verb in nearly every case.

Answer 4

I would say in the sentences:
-Make sure you bring the cake tomorrow.
-I will.
- Asegúrate (asegúrese) de traer el pastel mañana.
- Sí, lo traeré.
-Once they've paid, we can leave.
-They already have.
- Una vez que paguen, podremos irnos.
- Ya pagaron.
-You should always carry a flashlight in your car.
-I do.
- Deberías llevar siempre una linterna en tu coche (carro).
- Sí, siempre la llevo.

Answer 5

You should always carry a flashlight in your car.
Si, lo se
Si, lo hago

Answer 6

-Una vez que paguen, podremos irnos.
-Ya lo hicieron.

If they were going to use the main verb, I think a native would be more likely to say "Ya pagaron."

-Siempre debes mantener una linterna en el carro.
-Sí, siempre mantengo una ahí.

Boy, that's long! I personally would shorten it to something like "Sí, la tengo," but I was hoping someone would tell me if there is a general formula for such brief answers, one that would correspond to our use of auxiliary verbs in English.

Thanks for the reply!

Answer 7

You might be onto something there James. How about...

-Una vez que paguen, podremos irnos.
-Ya lo hicieron.

I suppose you could be "facetious" and say, "así será [su majestad]". Or maybe something like "ya sé" would do. Otherwise I guess you could just say "sí" or "bueno". If that doesn't work then, yes, I would use the same verb...

-Siempre debes mantener una linterna en el carro.
-Sí, siempre mantengo una ahí.