no hay nadie aquí
/no ai nadje aki/from spelling rules
In Spanish, "there is nobody here" is expressed as no hay nadie aquí.
This phrase is used to state that a specific location is currently empty of people.
Which one should you use?
While no hay nadie aquí means "there is nobody here", you can use no hay nadie allá to say "there is nobody there". If you wish to say "there is nobody around here" or "in this vicinity", use no hay nadie por aquí instead.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In certain Latin American countries, the variant No hay nadie acá is used. In these regions, the word acá is often favored over aquí to mean "here".
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb hay is the impersonal form of haber. It remains the same whether you are referring to a single person or multiple people.
Did you know?
- The word nadie originally comes from the Latin word for 'born men'. Over time, it shifted from meaning 'people who were born' to meaning 'no one'.
- Spanish uses a 'double negative' in no hay nadie, where both no and nadie negate the sentence. In English, two negatives often cancel each other out, but in Spanish, they reinforce the negation.
Examples in context
- No hay nadie aquí en este momento.There is nobody here at the moment.
- Por favor, espere un momento. No hay nadie aquí para atenderle.Please wait a moment. There is nobody here to assist you.
- Oye, ¿ves a alguien por aquí? No hay nadie por aquí ahora mismo.Hey, do you see anyone around here? There is nobody around here right now.
- ¡Qué raro! Hace rato había gente, pero ahora no hay nadie por aquí.How strange! There were people around earlier, but now there is nobody around here.
- No hay nadie aquí en la sala.There is nobody here in the living room.
- Busco al guardia, pero no hay nadie aquí.I am looking for the guard, but there is nobody here.
Example conversation
Elena and Daniel are looking for their friend in a quiet cafe.
- Elena¿Viste a Carlos en el café?Did you see Carlos in the cafe?
- DanielNo, no hay nadie aquí ahora.No, there is nobody here right now.
- ElenaEs muy extraño, la mesa está vacía.It is very strange, the table is empty.
- DanielTal vez se fue hace poco.Maybe he left a little while ago.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries aquí, hay, nadie, no, CC BY-SA 4.0.
