Negation

The cheapest chapter in the book. One word, one position, and a rule that would be an error in English.

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Grammar

1. The basic rule

Put não directly before the verb.

Eu entendo → Eu não entendo A gente vai → A gente não vai Ele tem a chave → Ele não tem a chave

Nothing else changes. No auxiliary verb, no do / does / don't as in English.

não is pronounced NOWNG and it means both no and not.

2. não twice

Answering a question, you often get two:

Não, não tem. — No, there isn't.

The first não is no, the second is not. Perfectly normal.

3. Double negatives are correct

This is the rule that fights your English instincts. When a negative word (nada, ninguém, nunca, nenhum) comes after the verb, you must also keep não before the verb.

If the negative word comes before the verb, drop não:

• **Nada** está funcionando [+] — nothing is working
• **Ninguém** sabe — nobody knows
• **Nunca** trabalho aos domingos [+] — I never work Sundays

Both orders are fine. The post-verb order with não is far more common in speech.

4. The negative words

5. não… mais — not anymore, no more

mais after a negated verb means anymore or any more:

• Não tem **mais** — There's no more / it's sold out
• Não trabalho **mais** lá — I don't work there anymore
• Não quero **mais** — I don't want any more

6. The Brazilian double-não

Very common in speech: não before the verb, and a second não tacked onto the end of the sentence for emphasis.

• Eu não sei **não** — I really don't know
• Não tem problema **não** — It's really no problem
• Não gosto **não** — I don't like it, no

This is friendly and informal, not emphatic-aggressive. Worth recognising; optional to produce.

7. Negating something other than the verb

Put não directly before the thing you are negating:

• **Não** hoje — not today
• **Não** aqui — not here
• **Não** muito — not much
• Eu quero café, **não** cerveja — I want coffee, not beer

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Examples

Simple negation

não tem — there isn't

Double negatives

ainda não and não… mais

Negating a word, not the verb

Short answers

Portuguese has no all-purpose yes/no reply. You repeat the verb.

Sim exists and is understood, but repeating the verb is what Brazilians actually do. It is also easier — you already have the verb from the question.

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What to take from this chapter

1. não goes directly before the verb. That is the whole rule.
2. Double negatives are required, not wrong: não tem nada.
3. não… mais = not anymore. ainda não = not yet.
4. To answer yes, repeat the verb. To answer no, repeat it with não.