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3.14: Negativi

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    1. In Italian, a negative sentence is formed by adding non (= not) before the verb:

    NON + verb

    Note: If there are pronouns (mi, ti, lo, la, ci, vi, li, le etc.) in front of the verb, non goes immediately in front of them.

    Non posso uscire.
I can’t go out.

- Non sai dove abita?  - No, non lo so.
You don’t know where he lives? No, I don’t.

     

    2. You use no instead of non in the following phrases:

    – In the phrase o no(= or not)

    Vai o no? Are you going or not?
    Che gli piaccia o no. Whether he likes it or not.

     

    – In the phrase di no after some verbs:

    Credo/penso di no. I don’t think so.
    Spero di no. I hope not.
    Ha detto di no. He/She said not.

     

    3. In Italian you can have more than one negative word following a negative verb.

    Non dimentica mai niente. She never forgets anything.
    Non parla mai con nessuno. He never talks to anyone.
    Non ha mai* fatto niente di buono. He has never done anything good

    *Note: mai goes between the auxiliary and the past participle in passato prossimo.

     

    4. The following common negative expressions are used in conjunction with non:

    nobody / no one non…nessuno 
    Non è venuto nessuno alla festa. 
Nobody came to the party.

Nessuno sa cosa fare.*
No one knows what to do.
    nothing non…niente, nulla 
    Non ho comprato niente.
I did not buy anything.
    Niente è facile.*
Nothing is easy.
    never non… mai 
    Non ho mai visto quel film.
I have never seen that movie.
    not yet non… ancora 
    Non ho ancora fatto i compiti. 
I haven’t done my homework yet.
    no longer non… più 
    Mia sorella non abita più a Siena.
My sister no longer lives in Siena.
    not at all non…affatto 
    Non è affatto stupido.
He is not at all stupid.
    not at all, not really non…mica 
    Non è mica simpatico.
He is not at all pleasant.
    not even/not …either non… neanche

    non… neppure

    non…  nemmeno

    		 
    Non è neanche bello.
He is not good-looking, either. 
OR: He is not even good-looking.
    neither… nor non… né… né… 
    Non bevo né caffè né tè.
I drink neither coffee nor tea.

    NIENTE and NESSUNO

    1. (*) When nessuno or niente precedes the verb, NON is omitted.
    Nessuno è arrivato in orario.
Nobody arrived on time.

Niente è semplice. 
Nothing is simple.

     

    1. Niente di + masculine singular adjective.
    Non c’è niente di buono in frigorifero. 
There is nothing good in the fridge.

     

    1. Niente da + verb
    Non ho niente da fare. 
I have nothing to do.

     

    1. Niente (nulla) and nessuno can be used in a question without NON to mean anything or anyone.
    Hai visto niente / Hai visto nessuno? 
Did you see anything? / Did you see anyone?

    Indefiniti e negativi in domande e risposte

    Espressioni affermative Espressioni negative   Domanda e risposta
    ognuno,tutti (everybody, everyone)

    qualcuno (somebody, someone)

    		 nessuno (nobody, no one) – Hai salutato tutti? – No, non ho salutato nessuno.

    – Hai visto qualcuno in biblioteca? – No, non ho visto nessuno.
    tutto (everything)

    qualcosa (something)

    		 niente, nulla (nothing) – Hai comprato tutto? – No, non ho comprato niente.

    – Hai fatto qualcosa di interessante ieri sera? – No, non ho fatto niente di interessante.
    sempre (always)

    qualche volta (sometimes)

    mai (ever)

    		 non… mai (never) – Vai sempre al bar? – No, non vado mai al bar.

    – Studi in biblioteca qualche volta? – No, non studio mai in biblioteca.

    – Sei mai stato a Bari? – No, non sono mai stato a Bari.
    già (already) non… ancora (not yet) – Hai già fatto i compiti? – No, non ho ancora fatto i compiti.
    ancora (still) non… più (no longer) – Abiti ancora a Bologna? – No, non abito più a Bologna.
    e (and), o (or) non… né… né… (neither… nor) – Suoni il piano e il violino? – No, non suono né il piano né il violino.

    Conversazione

    MARIO: Hai trovato un appartamento da affittare?

    CARLO: No, non l’ho ancora trovato.

    MARIO: Non hai visto niente di interessante?

    CARLO: Non ho visto niente che posso permettermi (I can afford). Non sono mica ricco!

    MARIO: Non hai trovato proprio nulla?

    CARLO: No, neppure un monolocale.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    This page titled 3.14: Negativi is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Cinzia Blum and Lucia Gemmani (Iowa State University Digital Press) via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.