Negation Beyond Non

You already know that Italian negates sentences by placing non before the verb: Non parlo italiano. But Italian has a rich system of negative words that go far beyond "non." This lesson covers niente/nulla, nessuno, mai, né...né, neanche/nemmeno/neppure, and other negative constructions.

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The Double Negative Rule

In English, a double negative is incorrect: "I don't know nothing" is wrong. In Italian, double negatives are standard and correct:

Italian	Literal Translation	Real Meaning
Non so niente.	I don't know nothing.	I don't know anything.
Non vedo nessuno.	I don't see nobody.	I don't see anyone.
Non vado mai al cinema.	I don't go never to the cinema.	I never go to the cinema.

Key Rule: When the negative word comes after the verb, you must also use "non" before the verb. When it comes before the verb, "non" is omitted.

After Verb (double negative)	Before Verb (single negative)
Non ho visto nessuno.	Nessuno ha chiamato.
Non mangio niente.	Niente mi sorprende.
Non viene mai.	Mai direi una cosa simile.

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Niente / Nulla — Nothing / Anything

Niente and nulla are interchangeable. Niente is more common in everyday speech.

Basic Usage

Italian	English
Non capisco niente.	I don't understand anything.
Non c'è niente da fare.	There's nothing to do.
Niente è impossibile.	Nothing is impossible.
Non ho nulla da dire.	I have nothing to say.

Niente + Di + Adjective

When "nothing" is followed by an adjective, use niente di + masculine singular adjective:

Italian	English
Non c'è niente di nuovo.	There's nothing new.
Non è niente di grave.	It's nothing serious.
Non ho visto niente di bello.	I didn't see anything nice.
Niente di speciale.	Nothing special.

Niente + Da + Infinitive

Italian	English
Non c'è niente da mangiare.	There's nothing to eat.
Non ho niente da fare.	I have nothing to do.
Non c'è niente da vedere.	There's nothing to see.

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Nessuno — Nobody / No One / None / No

Nessuno functions as both a pronoun (nobody) and an adjective (no / not any). As an adjective, it follows the same pattern as the indefinite article (un/uno/una/un').

As a Pronoun (nobody / no one)

Italian	English
Non c'è nessuno.	There's nobody here.
Nessuno mi ha chiamato.	Nobody called me.
Non conosco nessuno qui.	I don't know anyone here.
Nessuno sa la verità.	Nobody knows the truth.

As an Adjective (no / not any)

Nessuno as an adjective agrees with the noun and follows "un" article patterns:

Before Masculine	Before Feminine	Example
nessun libro	nessuna donna	Non ho nessun problema.
nessuno studente (before s+cons.)	nessun' amica (before vowel)	Nessuno studente ha capito.

Italian	English
Non ho nessun dubbio.	I have no doubts.
Non c'è nessuna differenza.	There's no difference.
In nessun caso.	In no case. / Under no circumstances.
Non ho nessun' idea.	I have no idea.
Senza nessun motivo.	Without any reason.

Important: As an adjective, nessuno is always singular, even if the English equivalent is plural: Non ho nessun amico (I have no friends — singular in Italian).

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Mai — Never / Ever

Mai means "never" when used with non, and "ever" in questions or positive contexts.

As "Never" (with non)

Italian	English
Non mangio mai la carne.	I never eat meat.
Non sono mai stato in Giappone.	I've never been to Japan.
Non ha mai mentito.	He/She has never lied.
Mai più!	Never again!

As "Ever" (questions / positive)

Italian	English
Sei mai stato a Roma?	Have you ever been to Rome?
Se mai avessi bisogno, chiamami.	If you ever need, call me.
Il miglior film che abbia mai visto.	The best film I've ever seen.

Position in Compound Tenses

In compound tenses, mai goes between the auxiliary and the past participle:

Italian	English
Non ho mai visto la neve.	I've never seen snow.
Non era mai successo.	It had never happened.
Non avrei mai immaginato.	I would never have imagined.

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Né...Né — Neither...Nor

The correlative negative né...né connects two or more negative elements:

Italian	English
Non mi piace né il caffè né il tè.	I like neither coffee nor tea.
Non ho né fame né sete.	I'm neither hungry nor thirsty.
Né Marco né Maria sono venuti.	Neither Marco nor Maria came.
Non parlo né francese né tedesco.	I speak neither French nor German.

Note: When né...né comes before the verb, "non" is dropped. When it comes after, "non" is required.

Né...Né with Pronouns