Expressive negation: ni siquiera, en absoluto, no … sino, apenas

You know the basic rule: a negative word before the verb replaces no; after the verb it needs no (nada, nadie, nunca: the double negative, Something and nothing: algo, alguien, algún and their negatives). At C1, negation is about strength and nuance: not even, not at all, nothing but, hardly, far from it.

Ni siquiera, ni: not even

• Ni siquiera me dio las gracias.He didn't even thank me.
• No me dio ni las gracias.He didn't even say thank you.

Before the verb, ni siquiera needs no no. After the verb, use no … ni (siquiera).

En absoluto, para nada, ni mucho menos

• en absoluto: not at all. On its own, as an answer, it is negative in Spain.
• para nada: not at all (colloquial).
• ni mucho menos: far from it.

• No estoy en absoluto de acuerdo con esa decisión.I don't agree with that decision at all.
• No es tonto, ni mucho menos.He's far from stupid.

¿Te molesta? — En absoluto means "not at all, it doesn't bother me". Absolutamente means "absolutely" and would mean yes.

No … sino and no … más que: only

No … sino and no … más que mean "only, nothing but". No hace sino + infinitive = "does nothing but".

• No te pido sino un poco de paciencia.All I ask of you is a little patience.
• No hace sino repetir lo que dice su jefe.He does nothing but repeat what his boss says.

Compare más que with más de:

• No tengo más que cinco minutos.I only have five minutes.
• No había más de diez personas en la sala.There were no more than ten people in the room.

No … más que = only (exactly that). No … más de = not more than (that number or fewer).

Apenas: hardly, as soon as

Apenas before the verb is negative without no: "hardly". Opening a sentence with a past verb, it can also mean "as soon as".

• Apenas dormí anoche.I hardly slept last night.
• Apenas llegó a casa, se puso a cocinar.As soon as she got home, she started cooking.

Emphatic refusals and never

Ni hablar, ni loco / ni loca, ni de broma = no way. En mi vida, en la vida and jamás = never (ever), placed before the verb without no.

• Ni hablar, no pienso pedirle perdón.No way, I'm not going to apologise to him.
• En mi vida he pasado tanto frío.I've never been so cold in my life.

The expletive no

In some structures no appears without negative meaning. The RAE accepts it after hasta que and in no sea que ("lest, in case"):

• Hasta que no termines, no te levantes de la mesa.Don't get up from the table until you've finished.
• Apunta la dirección, no sea que se te olvide.Write down the address in case you forget it.

Latin America

The structures are shared. Para nada and ni loco are common everywhere; ni a palos (Argentina) and ni de chiste (Mexico) are regional versions of "no way".

Common mistakes

• Ni siquiera no me saludó: a negative word before the verb replaces no, Ni siquiera me saludó.
• Answering Absolutamente when you mean "not at all": that means "absolutely, yes".
• No tengo más de un hermano when you mean "I only have one brother": say No tengo más que un hermano.
• Apenas no comí: apenas is already negative, Apenas comí.
• Confusing sino (but rather, after a negative) with si no (if not): No lo hizo por dinero sino por orgullo.