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Embracing double negatives

In English grammar, a double negative is usually a mistake. Saying that you do not know nothing technically means that you do know something. In Portuguese, however, double negatives are perfectly normal and often grammatically required.

When you use negative words like nada, ninguém, or nunca, they usually need to team up with another negative word to make the sentence work. They do not cancel each other out, they agree with each other to build a proper negative sentence.

Word list
nadaA1 nothing não... nada = nothing/anything ninguémA1 no one não... ninguém = nobody/anybody nuncaA1 never não... nunca = never jamaisA2 never não... jamais = never a lugar nenhumB1 nowhere não... a lugar nenhum = nowhere a nenhum lugarB1 nowhere não... a nenhum lugar = nowhere em lugar nenhumB1 nowhere não... em lugar nenhum = nowhere em nenhum lugarB1 nowhere não... em nenhum lugar = nowhere nemB1 not even não... nem = not even nem sequerB1 not even não... nem sequer = not even nenhuresC2 nowhere não... nenhures = nowhere
How it works

The basic rule of Portuguese negation is about position. If a negative word comes after the verb, you must have a negative word before the verb. Usually, this word before the verb is the simple word não.

Because of this rule, to say that you did not see anyone, you literally have to say that you did not see nobody. If you translate these sentences word for word, they might look strange, but in Portuguese they are completely natural.

Eu não vi ninguém na rua.
(I didn't see anyone in the street.)
Não quero comer nada hoje.
(I don't want to eat anything today.)
When the negative word comes first

The strict requirement for não only applies when your negative word follows the verb. If words like ninguém or nunca appear before the verb, they provide the negation themselves. In this case, you drop the não.

Compare these two ways to say that nobody came. Both are correct, but the grammar shifts depending on word order:

Não veio ninguém à festa.
(Nobody came to the party.)
Ninguém veio à festa.
(Nobody came to the party.)

A negative word placed before the verb also allows you to use any other negative words that come after the verb. You can safely stack multiple negative words in the same sentence, as long as one of them is doing the job before the verb.

Nunca vi ninguém ali.
(I have never seen anyone there.)
More negative expressions

This double negative rule applies to a wide variety of phrases. For example, when talking about locations, you will use expressions like em nenhum lugar for being nowhere and a lugar nenhum for going nowhere. You will also occasionally encounter nenhures, a regional or poetic word for nowhere. All of these need a negative partner before the verb.

O livro não está em lugar nenhum.
(The book is nowhere.)
Ele não vai a lugar nenhum hoje.
(He is going nowhere today.)

Similarly, the adverbs nem and nem sequer operate under the same logic when placed after a verb.

Ele não tentou nem sequer uma vez.
(He did not even try once.)
Summary

Remember the golden rule of Portuguese negation: a verb cannot be followed by a negative word unless there is already a negative word before the verb. Embrace the double negative rule to make your Portuguese sound perfectly natural.