In this grammar lesson, you will learn about how to say never in Spanish.
In this lesson you will learn about:
- how to say never in Spanish
- how never in Spanish are used in sentences
- how you can quiz yourself on never in Spanish
- how you can practice with flashcards on never in Spanish
- how and why you should use the courses of Language Atlas to learn Spanish
By the end of the lesson, you will know all about how to say never in Spanish!
Table of Contents
How to use Never in Spanish = Nunca
There are two ways to say “never” in Spanish:
- nunca + [affirmative sentence]
Nunca llamas a tus padres.
You never call your parents.
- no + [sentence] + nunca
No llamas a tus padres nunca.
You never call your parents.
With the second method (double negative), it doesn’t matter where you put “nunca” as long as it is after the verb.
Elena no come postre después de almorzar nunca.
Elena never eats dessert after lunch.
Elena no come nunca postre después de almorzar.
Elena never eats dessert after lunch.
There are some things that you should be mindful of though.
If there is an explicit subject then “nunca” will be placed after that subject.
Carlos nunca se quita los zapatos al llegar a casa.
Carlos never takes off his shoes when he gets home.
Yo nunca me he ido sola de viaje.
I have never gone on a trip alone.
Should the verb come with a reflexive pronoun, direct object or indirect object, then they cannot be separated from the verb.
No me quería encontrar nunca contigo.
I never wanted to meet you.
Moreover, if you use a compound tense (haber + participle) then you cannot put “nunca” in-between haber and the participle.
Nunca había escuchado una tontería semejante.
I have never heard such nonsense.
Valeria no había escuchado esta canción nunca.
Valeria had never heard this song before.
Finally, with modal verbs such as deber (must) and poder (to be able to/can) you have more freedom to choose where you put “nunca“.
Nunca debes hablar con desconocidos.
You should never talk to strangers.
No debes hablar con desconocidos nunca.
You should never talk to strangers.
Él no pudo nunca conocer a su hijo.
He was never able to meet his son.
Él nunca pudo conocer a su hijo.
He was never able to meet his son.
Example Sentences on How to Say Never in Spanish
This section of the lesson on never in Spanish is about seeing the negations used in sentences.
This is valuable because you can improve your understanding of never in Spanish through examples.
Nunca llamas a tus padres.
You never call your parents.
No llamas a tus padres nunca.
You never call your parents.
Elena no come postre después de almorzar nunca.
Elena never eats dessert after lunch.
Elena no come nunca postre después de almorzar.
Elena never eats dessert after lunch.
Carlos nunca se quita los zapatos al llegar a casa.
Carlos never takes off his shoes when he gets home.
Yo nunca me he ido sola de viaje.
I have never gone on a trip alone.
No me quería encontrar nunca contigo.
I never wanted to meet you.
Nunca había escuchado una tontería semejante.
I have never heard such nonsense.
Valeria no había escuchado esta canción nunca.
Valeria had never heard this song before.
Nunca debes hablar con desconocidos.
You should never talk to strangers.
No debes hablar con desconocidos nunca.
You should never talk to strangers.
Él no pudo nunca conocer a su hijo.
He was never able to meet his son.
Él nunca pudo conocer a su hijo.
He was never able to meet his son.
Quiz Yourself on How to Say Never in Spanish
At the end of every lesson, you can do a small quiz.
You will see the sentences of the previous chapter.
You will either need to fill in the blanks, choose the correct multiple choice option, or both.
Once you are done the correct answer will be shown.
You can redo the quiz as many times as you want!
How to Practice With Flashcards for This Lesson
Using flashcards is an absolute necessity when it comes to learning a language!
It is the best way to memorize what you learn, you can personalize your progression because it adapts to your actions, and all flashcards have audio to improve your hearing and pronunciation.
Please read our article on how to learn a new language for more information on flashcards and the best way to learn a new language.
There are two ways to practice with Flashcards for this lesson.
- Anki
- The Flashcards in our Courses
Anki is a free software with which you can create and practice flashcards.
After you have downloaded Anki for free, you can get our Spanish B1 Anki Deck.
This Anki Deck contains 2,052 flashcards with which you can practice absolutely everything for Spanish B1.
All the flashcards have text, images, explanations, and audio.
You can also use our courses that have flashcards integrated alongside lessons with audio, quizzes and much more!
However, I am sure you are wondering, what are your courses, and why should I take them?
The Courses of Language Atlas
Have you ever wondered what the best way is to learn a new language?
I have been learning languages for over 20+ years and I was always frustrated with books, courses, and classes that I had tried.
It never really seemed to work for me.
I wanted to learn a language in the most effective and efficient way, and there was nothing out there for me.
So I thought, “why not make something myself?“.
Using my experience and by doing research I created Language Atlas, a platform where people can learn French and Spanish in the most effective and efficient way.
I created free lessons and quizzes so that there would always be an easy and accessible way for people to learn or brush up on their language skills.
However, I also created courses that are much more comprehensive and in-depth.
These courses are easy to follow, clear, and allow you to become fluent in the most effective and efficient way.
The courses of Language Atlas have:
- 800+ Lessons with audio
- 800+ Quizzes
- 10,000 Flashcards with explanations, images, and audio
- A gamified way of learning a new language
- A vibrant community (including support from me)
You can register for free and try the French A0/A1 and Spanish A0/A1 Courses for free!
This includes over 60 lessons and quizzes, 500 flashcards that adapt to how you learn, and access to the community (including support from me).
All you have to do is study 30 minutes a day and you will be fluent in no time!
Don’t miss out – register for free and start learning!
