Saying No in Italian: Non, Niente, Mai and Double Negatives

How Italian negation works, why double negatives are correct, and the common negative words such as niente, mai, nessuno and più.

Negation in Italian is simple, with one feature that surprises English speakers: double negatives are normal and correct.

The basic negative: non

Put non before the verb:

Word	Meaning	Example
niente, nulla	nothing	Non ho niente. — I have nothing.
mai	never	Non vado mai al cinema. — I never go to the cinema.
nessuno	nobody	Non vedo nessuno. — I don't see anybody.
più	no more	Non fumo più. — I don't smoke any more.
neanche, nemmeno	not even	Non ho neanche un euro. — I don't even have a euro.
né ... né	neither ... nor	Non voglio né tè né caffè. — I want neither tea nor coffee.
ancora (with non)	not yet	Non ho ancora mangiato. — I haven't eaten yet.

When the negative word comes after the verb, non is required as well. In English this would be wrong, but in Italian it is the standard:

Non ho visto nessuno. — I didn't see anyone. (literally "I did not see nobody")
Non dice mai niente. — He never says anything.

When the negative word comes before the verb, non is dropped:

Non goes before the auxiliary. Words like mai usually go between the auxiliary and the participle:

Dropping non after the verb: Vedo nessuno is wrong; say Non vedo nessuno.
Using English logic ("double negatives cancel out").
Forgetting mai in "never".