no hay nadie en casa
/no ai nadje en kasa/from spelling rules
The English phrase "nobody home" is translated into Spanish as no hay nadie en casa.
The phrase is used to state that there is no person present in a house or building. If the context already implies that you are talking about a home, you can shorten the phrase to no hay nadie.
Which one should you use?
You might use the longer phrase No se encuentra nadie en casa in more formal settings. In casual conversation, you might hear the extended version no hay nadie en casa, están todos fuera to specify that everyone is out.
How does it change in a sentence?
This phrase uses the impersonal hay (there is/are) to indicate presence, rather than using a form of the verb ser or estar (to be).
Did you know?
- The word nadie comes from the Latin word for 'born people'. Over time, using it in negative sentences shifted its meaning from 'people who were born' to 'no one'.
Examples in context
- ¿No hay nadie en casa?Nobody home?This example shows how to ask the question "Nobody home?" using the form no hay nadie en casa.Tatoeba #1316967 by Rafp, translation #9341455 by iliekchez
- Lo siento, pero no hay nadie en casa en este momento.I'm sorry, but nobody is home right now.
- Permítame informarle que en este momento no se encuentra nadie en casa.Allow me to inform you that currently, nobody is at home.
- ¡Hola, amigo! No hay nadie en casa, ¿podemos encontrarnos en otro lugar?Hey, friend! Nobody's home, can we meet somewhere else?
- Mis padres salieron y mis hermanos están en el parque, así que no hay nadie en casa.My parents went out, and my siblings are at the park, so nobody is home.
- Parece que no hay nadie en casa.It seems that nobody is home.
Example conversation
Alejandro and Sofía are standing outside their friend's house.
- AlejandroHe llamado tres veces, pero no hay nadie en casa.I called three times, but nobody is home.
- SofíaQué raro, ella debería estar aquí.That's strange, she should be here.
- AlejandroQuizás salió a caminar un momento.Maybe she went out for a walk for a moment.
- SofíaVamos a volver más tarde.Let's come back later.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries casa, en, hay, nadie, no, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
