no
Wordform Details
Translation: nonot
Part of Speech: adverb
Inflection Type:
invariableIs Dictionary Form: Yes
Dictionary Form Details
Lemma Details
Translation: no; not
Part of Speech: adverb
Etymology: The Spanish 'no' comes from Latin 'non', meaning 'not' or 'no'. This is the same Latin root that gives us English words with negative prefixes like 'non-' (nonexistent, nonfiction). The Latin 'non' itself derives from Proto-Indo-European *ne- ('not'), which is also the source of English 'no' and 'not', showing a direct etymological connection between the Spanish and English negative particles.
Commonality: 100%
Guessability: 100%
Register: neutral
Mnemonics
- It's identical to English 'no', making it one of the easiest Spanish words to remember.
- Think of the universal gesture of shaking your head 'no' - it's the same in both languages.
Related Words, Phrases & Idioms
Synonyms
Example Wordforms
Cultural Context
In Spanish, double negatives are grammatically correct and actually strengthen the negative meaning, unlike in English where they create a positive. For example, 'No veo nada' (literally 'I don't see nothing') means 'I don't see anything' in English.
Easily Confused With
Explanation: 'No' is the negative particle, while 'nos' is a pronoun meaning 'us' or 'to us'.
Confused word:
Nos vemos mañana.
We'll see each other tomorrow.
Notes: 'No' is used for negation, while 'nos' is used as a reflexive or direct/indirect object pronoun.
Mnemonic: 'No' has one letter, for one simple meaning (negation). 'Nos' has three letters, for 'us' (also three letters).