Language/Portuguese/Grammar/Negation
Hi Portuguese learners! 😊
Negation is an important part of any language, and Portuguese is no exception. In this lesson, we will look at the different ways to express negation in Portuguese. We will also look at some examples of how to use them in sentences.
Não
The most common way to express negation in Portuguese is with the word "não". This is used to negate verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and other words. For example:
| Portuguese | Pronunciation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Eu não sei | eh-oo nown say | I don't know |
| Ele não é alto | eh-lee nown ay ahl-toh | He is not tall |
| Ela não está feliz | eh-lah nown es-tah feh-leez | She is not happy |
| Nós não somos ricos | nohs nown soh-mohs ree-kohs | We are not rich |
| Vocês não são bons | voh-sehs nown sah-oohn bohns | You (plural) are not good |
Nem
Another way to express negation in Portuguese is with the word "nem". This is used to negate two or more items in a sentence. For example:
| Portuguese | Pronunciation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Eu não sei nem entendo | eh-oo nown say nem en-ten-doh | I don't know nor understand |
| Ele não é alto nem baixo | eh-lee nown ay ahl-toh nem bah-ee-shoh | He is neither tall nor short |
| Ela não está feliz nem triste | eh-lah nown es-tah feh-leez nem tree-shtay | She is neither happy nor sad |
| Nós não somos ricos nem pobres | nohs nown soh-mohs ree-kohs nem poh-brehs | We are neither rich nor poor |
| Vocês não são bons nem ruins | voh-sehs nown sah-oohn bohns nem hoo-eenz | You (plural) are neither good nor bad |
Nenhum
The word "nenhum" is used to express negation when talking about something that doesn't exist. For example:
| Portuguese | Pronunciation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Não há nenhum problema | nown ah nen-yoom proh-bleh-mah | There is no problem |
| Não há nenhuma resposta | nown ah nen-yoomah res-poh-stah | There is no answer |
| Não há nenhum livro aqui | nown ah nen-yoom lee-vroh ah-kee | There is no book here |
| Não há nenhuma pessoa aqui | nown ah nen-yoomah peh-soh-ah ah-kee | There is no one here |
| Não há nenhuma razão para isso | nown ah nen-yoomah hah-zah-oohn pah-rah ees-soh | There is no reason for this |
Nunca
The word "nunca" is used to express negation when talking about something that has never happened. For example:
| Portuguese | Pronunciation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Eu nunca fui à praia | eh-oo noon-kah foo-ee ah prah-ee-ah | I have never been to the beach |
| Ele nunca comeu sushi | eh-lee noon-kah koh-meh-oo soo-shee | He has never eaten sushi |
| Ela nunca falou inglês | eh-lah noon-kah fah-loh een-glehs | She has never spoken English |
| Nós nunca viajamos para o Japão | nohs noon-kah vee-ah-zhah-mohs pah-rah oh zhah-pah-oohn | We have never traveled to Japan |
| Vocês nunca viram um filme chinês | voh-sehs noon-kah veer-ah-oohm oon fee-mee sheen-ehz | You (plural) have never seen a Chinese movie |
Conclusion
In this lesson, we looked at the different ways to express negation in Portuguese. We saw that the most common way is with the word "não", but there are other words such as "nem", "nenhum", and "nunca" that can also be used.
Remember, the best way to improve your Portuguese Grammar is to practice with native speakers. Find native speakers and ask them any questions on the Polyglot Club website!
* If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
* Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎
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