Negative sentences - Giving and seeking factual informatio - Functions - A Practical Guide - Modern Italian Grammar

Modern Italian Grammar: A Practical Guide, Third Edition (2013)

Part B. Functions

I. Giving and seeking factual informatio

16. Negative sentences

16.1 Introduction

The most common way to form a negative statement or question is to use non before the verb. There is usually no specific word order that distinguishes a negative sentence from an affirmative one.

Sono stanca.

I'm tired.

Non sono stanca.

I am not tired.

Potete venire alla festa?

Can you come to the party?

Non potete venire alla festa?

Can't you come to the party?

Mio marito ha due fratelli.

My husband has two brothers.

Mio marito non ha fratelli.

My husband has no brothers.

C'erano molti studenti in aula.

There were lots of students in the classroom.

Non c'erano molti studenti in aula.

There weren't many students in the classroom.

To answer a question with a negative, simply use no. You can also repeat the verb but use an object pronoun such as lo, la or ne, or the particle ci, to avoid repetition of the noun or other element (see 3.4.1, 3.4.45):

Hai dieci euro?

No! (No, non li ho.)

Have you got ten euros?

No, I haven't.

Sa guidare la macchina?

No! (No, non la so guidare.)

Can you drive a car?

No, I can't.

Vai in centro stasera?

No. Non ci vado.

Are you going to the cinema this evening?

No, I'm not going.

16.2 Reinforcing a negative statement

Several other words expressing negation can be used to reinforce a negative statement. Since these are generally used together with non, they form a double negative (two negative words in the same sentence). See 16.8 for exceptions to this.

16.2.1 Affatto, per niente, mica

A negative statement can be reinforced by using affatto, per niente, mica (the last is rather colloquial) along with non:

Non ho affatto paura!

I am not afraid at all!

“No. Non mi disturba affatto … nemmeno in bagno.”

(Article about Italians and mobile phones)

‘No, you're not disturbing me at all … not even in the bathroom.’

(http://luccanews.tv/no_non_mi_disturba_affattonemmeno_in_bagno-4137.html, retrieved 24 February 2012)

Il film non era per niente interessante!

The film was not at all interesting!

Non sono mica scema!

I am not stupid!

Notice how all the reinforcing adverbs come after the verb. With a compound tense such as passato prossimo, they can either come after the whole verb or come after the auxiliary (avere, essere) and before the participle:

Non è stata per niente una bella serata.

It wasn't a nice evening at all.

Non ho affatto detto una bugia.

I certainly didn't tell a lie.

Non ho mica preso le tue cose.

I certainly didn't take your things.

Affatto can also be used on its own to reply to a question in the negative:

Hai speso tutti i soldi che ti ho dato?

No, affatto!

Did you spend all the money I gave you?

No, certainly not!

16.2.2 Neanche, nemmeno, neppure

These adverbs, used with non, can be used to reinforce or expand a negative statement, with the specific meaning of ‘not even’, ‘neither’ or ‘not either’. They are often closely linked to a noun, either person or object, as in the examples below:

Non ho neanche un centesimo!

I haven't even got a penny! (Literally: a cent)

Non viene neanche mio fratello.

My brother isn't coming either.

Guardo poco la TV. Non guardo nemmeno il telegiornale.

I don't watch much TV I don't even watch the news.

L'inverno non risparmia neppure la Sicilia.

Not even Sicily is being spared the winter weather.

Nemmeno can also be used with the meaning of ‘neither, not either’:

Non abbiamo mangiato bene nemmeno in albergo.

We didn't eat well in the hotel either.

Neanche and nemmeno do not need non when they come before the verb or in a phrase without a verb (see also 16.8).

16.3 Expressing negation using niente, nulla

Niente (and the less common nulla) mean ‘nothing’ and are normally used together with non (see also 3.9.1):

Non ho niente da dire.

I have nothing to say.

Non vedo niente.

I can't see anything.

Non c'è nulla di buono da mangiare.

There isn't anything good to eat.

Niente, nulla can also come before the verb, in which case the non is not needed (see 16.8).

16.4 Expressing negation using the pronoun nessuno/a

Nessuno is a negative pronoun, standing on its own; it has a masculine form nessuno (occasionally abbreviated to nessun) and feminine form nessuna:

A questo numero non risponde nessuno.

Nobody answers on this number.

In casa non c'è nessuno.

There isn't anybody at home.

Nessuno is usually found with non, but if it comes before the verb, non is not needed (see 16.8 below, see also 3.9.3).

16.5 Expressing negation using the adjective nessun/o/a

You can reinforce the idea that a person or object is not available by adding the negative adjective nessun/o/a (‘no’, ‘not any’). Nessun/o/a (see 3.9.3) follows the pattern of the indefinite article un, uno, una (see 1.3.2):

Non c'è nessuna guida.

There is no guidebook.

Non c'è nessun'automobile disponibile.

There are no cars available.

(Literally: There is no car available.)

Non c'è nessun posto.

There is no space free.

Non c'era nessuno scrittore italiano presente.

There were no Italian writers present.

Nessun (nessuno, nessuna, nessun') can also come before the verb, in which case non is not needed (see 16.8).

Particularly in more formal written Italian, nessun may be replaced by alcun in the singular (alcuno, alcuna, alcun'), as in the examples below. Alcun can also be used after senza ‘without’ with the meaning ‘any’. For the various uses of alcun, see also 3.9.3.

Non c'è alcun motivo per offendersi.

There's absolutely no reason to take offence.

Due settimane senza alcuna traccia. (newspaper headline)

Two weeks without a single trace.

Other alternatives to nessun include minimo ‘the slightest’, which has to agree with the noun it refers to:

Non ha la minima intenzione di finire quel progetto.

He hasn't the slightest intention of completing that project.

Or the more colloquial expression il più pallido, where the adjective also has to agree with the noun it refers to:

Non ho la più pallida idea di quello che sta facendo.

I haven't got the faintest idea what he's doing.

16.6 Other negative elements: non… mai, non… ancora, non… più

Non … mai ‘never’, non … ancora ‘not yet’ and non … più ‘no longer’ are used to express negation, with reference to present, past or future time (see also 13.8.2):

Non leggiamo mai i giornali.

We never read the newspapers.

Non sei ancora pronta?

Aren't you ready yet?

Non lavora più alla Fiat.

He doesn't work at Fiat any longer.

With a simple verb, such as those in the examples above, non comes before the verb, while any other negative elements come after. With a compound tense such as passato prossimo, these elements can generally either come after the whole verb or — more commonly — after the auxiliary (avere, essere) and before the participle:

Non sono mai stato in America.

(Non sono stato mai in America.)

I've never been to America.

I nostri ospiti non sono ancora arrivati.

(I nostri ospiti non sono arrivati ancora.)

Our guests have not arrived yet.

Il mio ex-marito non mi ha più telefonato.

My ex-husband hasn't phoned me any more.

Non … più can also be used with the meaning ‘no more’:

Non c'è più benzina.

There isn't any more petrol.

Non ci sono più mele.

There are no more apples.

16.7 Expressing negation using né… né

A negative statement about two (or more) related words or sentences can be introduced by non … né … né (see 5.2.2), corresponding to the English ‘neither … nor’ or ‘either … or’ preceded by ‘not’.

Sto bene. Non ho fame sete.

I'm fine. I'm neither hungry nor thirsty.

Di domenica non voleva lavorare studiare.

On Sundays he didn't want either to work or to study.

Questo bicchiere non è mio tuo, è di Andrea.

This glass is neither mine nor yours. It's Andrea's.

Like other negative phrases, né … né can also come before the verb, in which case non is not needed (see 16.8).

16.8 Omitting non

Neanche and nemmeno (see 16.2.2) can come before the verb or in a phrase without a verb, in which case they do not need non:

Neanche mia sorella mi ha fatto gli auguri.

Not even my sister wished me happy birthday.

Non vai a sciare quest'anno? Neanch'io.

Aren't you going skiing this year? Me neither.

Non hai la patente di guida? Nemmeno io.

Don't you have a driver's licence? Neither do I.

Niente or nulla (see 16.3) can also come before the verb, in which case non is not needed. This word order is rather dramatic in style, however, and perhaps more common in Sicily and the south:

Niente succede.

Nothing happens.

Nulla lo preoccupa.

Nothing worries him.

Nessuno as pronoun or adjective (see 16.45) can come before the verb, in which case non is not needed. (It is more common to find nessuno in this word order than niente.)

As a pronoun:

Nessuno viene dopo le 4.00.

No one comes after 4.00.

Nessun dorma! (from Puccini's opera Turandot)

Let nobody sleep!

As an adjective:

Nessun compito gli era difficile.

No task was difficult for him.

Nessuna guida ti spiega queste cose.

No guidebook explains these things to you.

Né … né (see 16.7) can also come before the verb, in which case non is not needed. The verb used can be either singular or plural:

Marco Luisa sapeva come far funzionare la fotocopiatrice.

Neither Marco nor Luisa knew how to make the photocopier work.

io lui sapevamo dove andare.

Neither I nor he knew where to go.

16.9 Specifying negation with a che clause

When nessun, nessuno, niente (see 16.35) are followed by a clause that more closely defines or specifies the negative (‘no guidebook … that explains clearly’), Italian uses a relative clause introduced by che, normally followed by the subjunctive (see 2.2.15):

Non c'è nessuna guida che spieghi la storia della città in modo chiaro.

There is no guidebook that explains the history of the town clearly.

Non c'è nessuno che sappia fare la pizza come mia cugina.

There is no one that can make pizza like my cousin.

Non c'è niente che possa soddisfarlo.

There's nothing that can satisfy him.