Quasimodo: Prepárate para la prueba [Make sure you know which indefinite word is positive and which is negative]

Indefinite and Negative Words Part 2

Remember: We need to match the negative all through the sentence. For a sentence to be negative, there must be a negative word before the verb. Any other indefinite words in the sentence must be in the negative as well. Ejemplos: Yo no hablo con nadie. No hay nada en la mochila. Ningunos libros están debajo del escritorio.

Also remember: Algo (something/anything), Nada (nothing/not anything), alguien (someone, somebody, anybody), & nadie (no one, nobody, not anyone) all work ONLY as NOUNS in sentences. These will also only work as singular nouns.

Alguno/a(s) Ninguno/a(s)

These work similar to demonstratives: They can work as ADJECTIVES or as PRONOUNS. They must MATCH the word they are describing/replacing.

When they work as adjectives: They will go BEFORE the word they describe. They must match GENDER and NUMBER with the word they describe. If they come before a SINGULAR MASCULINE noun you need to use the special forms (algún, ningún)

Ejemplos: No me gusta ninguna verdura. I don’t like any vegetable. Algunos estudiantes estudian en la biblioteca. Some students study in the library. Ellos no necesitan ningunas toallas. They don’t need any towels.

When they work as pronouns: Rather than just DESCRIBING the word, they REPLACE it entirely. You still need to match GENDER and NUMBER with what they replace.

Ejemplos: I need some. (fruit) Yo necesito algunas. They aren’t looking for some. (students) Ellos no buscan a ningunos. Some (types of fish) taste like chicken. Algunos saben a pollo.

Tarea: Worksheet part B