Learn how to say "no" in Portuguese
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Intro |
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| Michael: How do you say "no" in Portuguese? |
| Ana Clara: And what is a negative concord? |
| Michael: At PortuguesePod101.com, we hear these questions often. Consider the following situation: Sasha Lee is talking to her friend, Giovana Gomes, about a party later that day. She asks, |
| "Are you going to the party tonight?" |
| Sasha Lee: Você vai na festa hoje à noite? |
| Dialogue |
| Sasha Lee: Você vai na festa hoje à noite? |
| Giovana Gomes: Não, estou muito cansada. |
| Michael: Once more with the English translation. |
| Sasha Lee: Você vai na festa hoje à noite? |
| Michael: "Are you going to the party tonight?" |
| Giovana Gomes: Não, estou muito cansada. |
| Michael: "No, I'm very tired." |
Lesson focus |
| Michael: In the conversation, Sasha Lee asks: |
| Ana Clara: Você vai na festa hoje à noite? |
| Michael: "Are you going to the party tonight?", to which Giovana Gomes replies: |
| Ana Clara: Não, estou muito cansada. |
| Michael: "No, I'm very tired." In Portuguese, to answer a yes/no question negatively, you can use "no", or: |
| Ana Clara: não |
| Michael: And preferably add the reason for the negation, as it is good form to show regard or respect for the speaker that you are talking to. In the conversation, after the negation, Giovana explains that: |
| Ana Clara: Estou muito cansada. |
| Michael: "I'm very tired." Let's have a look at another example: |
| Ana Clara: Você foi ao mercado hoje? |
| Michael: "Did you go to the market today? |
| Ana Clara: Não, estava muito atrasada e tive que ir direto para o escritório. |
| Michael: "No, I was very late and had to go straight to the office." |
| Besides "no", you can use other negatives for negation. For example, "never": |
| Ana Clara: nunca |
| Michael: In an example: |
| Ana Clara: Você faz compras naquele supermercado? |
| Michael: "Do you shop at that supermarket?" |
| Ana Clara: Ah, nunca vou lá! É muito caro! |
| Michael: "Oh, [I] never go there! It's too expensive!" |
| In Portuguese, it's common to omit the subject, in this case "I": |
| Ana Clara: eu |
| Michael: Because the conjugated verb: |
| Ana Clara: vou, |
| Michael: "[I] go", already refers to the person of speech. |
| [Summary] |
| Michael: In this lesson, you've learned that you can use "no" to answer a yes/no question negatively in Portuguese. Alternatively, other negatives, such as "never", for example can be used as a negation. Now, let’s look at some examples. Our first example is: |
| Ana Clara: Você pesquisou o preço do vestido para a festa de formatura? |
| Michael: "Did you research the price of the prom dress?" |
| Ana Clara: Não, estava super ocupada hoje. |
| Michael: "No, [I] was super busy today." |
| The next example is: |
| Ana Clara: Você já foi naquela loja nova? |
| Michael: "Have you ever been to that new store?" |
| Ana Clara: Nunca consigo entrar lá, está sempre uma fila imensa! |
| Michael: "[I] can never get in there, there is always a long line!" |
| In this case, the negative "never" was used instead of "no" to form a negation. |
| Expansion |
| Michael: In Portuguese, it's also possible to use double negatives, which is called "negative concord", in which two negatives are used in the same sentence. However, unlike you’d logically think, they don’t make a positive. Instead, they not only keep the negative meaning, but also emphasize it. Let's have a look at an example: |
| Ana Clara: Não comprei nada hoje para o café da manhã. |
| Michael: Literally: "[I] didn't buy nothing today for breakfast.", meaning: "[I] didn't buy anything today for breakfast.". |
| In this example, there are two negation words: |
| Ana Clara: não |
| Michael: which can be "no", but, in this case, was used as "didn't", and: |
| Ana Clara: nada |
| Michael: "nothing". The two negatives reinforce the negative meaning of the sentence. |
| Practice Section |
| Michael: Let's review. Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then, repeat after Ana Clara focusing on pronunciation. |
| Do you remember how Sasha Lee says "Are you going to the party tonight?" |
| Ana Clara: Você vai na festa hoje à noite? |
| Michael: Listen again and repeat. |
| Ana Clara: Você vai na festa hoje à noite? |
| Ana Clara: Você vai na festa hoje à noite? |
| Michael: And do you remember how Giovana Gomes says "No, I'm very tired?" |
| Ana Clara: Não, estou muito cansada. |
| Michael: Listen again and repeat. |
| Ana Clara: Não, estou muito cansada. |
| Ana Clara: Não, estou muito cansada. |
| Cultural Insight/Expansion (Optional) |
| Michael: In general, the negation is placed before the verb in Portuguese. For example: |
| Ana Clara: Eu não preciso de ajuda. |
| Michael: "I don't need help." |
| Here, "no", or: |
| Ana Clara: não |
| Michael: used as "don't", is placed before the verb "to need", conjugated in the first person singular: |
| Ana Clara: preciso |
| Michael: "[I] need". |
| However, especially in spoken Portuguese, the negation can be placed after the verb, or even before and after the verb. For example: |
| Ana Clara: Você vai na festa hoje à noite? |
| Michael: "Are you going to the party tonight?" |
| Ana Clara: Vou não, tô cansada! |
| Michael: "[I'm] not going, I'm tired!". |
| In this example: |
| Ana Clara: não |
| Michael: Used as "not" is placed after the verb: |
| Ana Clara: Vou não |
| Michael: Forming the negation, "[I'm] not going". |
| Sometimes, the negation can be placed before and after the verb. For example: |
| Ana Clara: Você vai na festa hoje à noite? |
| Michael: "Are you going to the party tonight?" |
| Ana Clara: Não vou, não...tô cansada. |
| Michael: "[I'm] not going, no...I'm tired.". This is especially common in spoken Portuguese and helps with emphasizing the negation. |
Outro |
| Michael: Do you have any more questions? We’re here to answer them! |
| Ana Clara: Até a próxima! |
| Michael: See you soon! |
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