ni siquiera
/nisiˈkjeɾa/
The English phrase "not even" is translated into Spanish as ni siquiera.
ni siquiera is used to emphasize that something is surprising or unlikely, often to highlight a minimum requirement that was not met. You can place ni siquiera at the beginning of a sentence for emphasis, similar to how "Not even…" is used in English.
How does it change in a sentence?
Unlike English, ni siquiera does not change its form based on the gender or number of the subject or the object it emphasizes.
How do you pronounce it?
/nisiˈkjeɾa/
Did you know?
- The word siquiera is a combination of si and quiera, which literally means 'if [one] wants'. This gives the phrase ni siquiera a hidden meaning of 'not even if it were desired'.
- Spanish speakers often use ni siquiera within double negative constructions. While this would be a grammatical error in English, it is perfectly correct in Spanish and serves to strengthen the denial.
- While ni siquiera is used for negative emphasis, the word siquiera can be used on its own to mean 'at least'. This creates a positive meaning that is the opposite of the phrase 'not even'.
Examples in context
- Ni siquiera lo sientoI'm not even sorry.This sentence shows how to use ni siquiera to express a lack of feeling.Tatoeba #12305026 by AlfredoSeimandi, translation #12305025 by AlfredoSeimandi
- Ni siquiera estás sudando.You're not even sweating.This sentence uses ni siquiera to emphasize an observation about a physical state.Tatoeba #3424456 by marcelostockle, translation #3354907 by CK
- Ni siquiera soy canadiense.I'm not even Canadian.This sentence demonstrates using ni siquiera to emphasize a specific identity.Tatoeba #6848350 by arh, translation #3825920 by CK
- No pude ni siquiera entender lo que dijoI couldn't even understand what he/she said
- No voy a llegar ni por asomo a tiempo a la reuniónI'm not even going to come close to being on time for the meeting
- Ese concierto está tan caro que ni de broma voy a irThat concert is so expensive that there's no way I'm going
- Ni de casualidad voy a hacer ese ridículo baileThere's absolutely no chance I'll do that embarrassing dance
- No me gusta ni tan siquiera un pocoI don't even like it a little
- No saldría contigo ni por nada del mundoI wouldn't go out with you, not even for anything in the world
- 34 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía and Daniel are talking about a difficult exam.
- LucíaEl examen fue muy difícil hoy.The exam was very difficult today.
- DanielYo ni siquiera pude terminar la primera parte.I could not even finish the first part.
- Lucía¿De verdad? Yo terminé todo.Really? I finished everything.
- DanielDaniel, tú siempre sacas buenas notas.Daniel, you always get good grades.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ni siquiera, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ni, siquiera, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
