ninguno
/ninˈɡuno/
The Spanish word for "none" is ninguno.
ninguno is used to indicate that not one person or thing in a group is being referred to.
Which one should you use?
Use ninguno when the noun is omitted or acts as a pronoun, but use ningún before a masculine singular noun.
How does it change in a sentence?
In Spanish, the word for "none" is almost always used in the singular form, even when referring to a group of people or things. The form changes to ninguna to agree with a feminine noun. Additionally, the masculine form drops the final 'o' to become ningún when placed immediately before a masculine singular noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/ninˈɡuno/
Did you know?
- Spanish has a 'double negative' construction where ninguno is often paired with no in the same sentence to strengthen the denial.
- In some regional Spanish slang, ninguno can be used as a shorthand to describe someone who has no influence or status within a social group.
- The word ninguno is a contraction of the Latin words nec and ūnus, which literally translate to 'not even one'.
Examples in context
- O todos o ninguno.Either all or none.Tatoeba #5779948 by albrusgher, translation #2122118 by freddy1
- Ninguno se fía de él.None of them trusts him.Tatoeba #7282871 by arh, translation #7940471 by Seael
- Ninguno de éstos es mío.None of these are mine.Tatoeba #6863541 by arh, translation #6863396 by CK
- ¿Tiene alguna experiencia en ventas? No, no tengo nada de experiencia en ventas.Do you have any sales experience? No, I have no sales experience at all.
- 64 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo and Elena are looking at a box of broken pencils.
- Elena¿Tienes algún lápiz que funcione?Do you have any pencils that work?
- MateoLo siento, Elena, pero ninguno funciona.I'm sorry, Elena, but none of them work.
- Elena¡Qué lástima!What a shame!
- MateoTendremos que comprar nuevos.We will have to buy new ones.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ninguno, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ninguno, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
