CSG309

298 Complete Spanish Grammar

Other ]\egative Expres$ions

Some of the words you have studied in this unit are also used in multiword negative expressions. These expressions serve as adverbs, prepositions, or conjunctions and are common in everyday conversation. They can be memorized as lexical items.

Negative expressions

no importa no... mas que todavla no ya no

aliora no

de ninguna manera ni hablar ni siquiera ni... tainpoco not now

no way, certainly not certainly not (not) even neither . . .

it does not matter no morę than not yet

no morę, no longer

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ejercicio

Un poco de sentido comun. Escńbe la letra de la

_ 1. A'amos al cine ahora o mas tarde?

_ 2. ^Llegó Lynn?

_ 3. jPerdi tu bille tera!

_ 4. No tengo dinero,

_ 5. ^Necesitas aun los $100?

_ 6. ^Nos prestas los $1.000?

mejor respuesta y completa la frase.

a.    De ninguna manera, jno!

b.    No importa.

c.    Todavia no.

d.    ni siquiera para comprar un helado.

e.    Ya no, gracias.

f.    Ahora no.

The Conjunctions per o and sino and ]\egative Expressions

Sino is a conjunction, a word that is used to link words, phrases, and sentences that have the same grammatical function.

No veo a tu hermano sino a tu primo. I do not seeyour brother but (rather) your cousin. Ellos no hablaron sino gritaron en la They did not speak but (rather) screamed at charla.    the get-together.

In the sentence No veo a tu hermano sino a tu primo, the direct object of veo is a tu hermano and sino a tu primo completes the direct object. The repeated personal a indicates the role of the direct object. In the second half of the sentence, veo is understood after sino: (veo) a tu primo. In Spanish, sino is referred to as aconjunción adversativa, always used after negative state-ments to State a counter position or contrast. Sino communicates the idea on the contrary or rather.

Sino may also indicate a restriction, equivalent to only in English in situations such as:

No espera sino que tu defiendas tus    He wants only that you defendyour ideas.

ideas.