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Negative words

Have you noticed how you can create a positive message using negative word?  Check out the following message:

No Spanish grammar form is impossible to master.  Being a successful learner is a matter of never giving up!  Nothing is unattainable! 

Just as we use “never,” “nobody,” “no/none,” “nothing,” or “neither” in English, Spanish has equivalents like nunca, nadie, ningún, nada, and tampoco, which are often used in conjunction with the word no.  What is interesting about the above example is that it reminds us how widely used negative words can be, since they are used to express both positive and negative thoughts. 

But how do learners deal with keeping the meanings of these various negative words straight?  Here is a strategy that Samantha uses.

Remembering the meaning of negative words

 

 

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