Using the Spanish Pronoun ‘Nada’

Nada is the usual Spanish pronoun meaning nothing—but because double negatives are common in Spanish, the word nada can often be translated as anything. Nada Meaning Nothing When nada indeed means nothing, usually as the subject of a sentence, the use of nada is straightforward for English speakers: Nada es mejor que la maternidad. (Nothing is better than motherhood.)Nada es mà ¡s importante en este momento de nuestra historia. (Nothing is more important at this time in our history.)Nada puede cambiarme. (Nothing can change me.)Nada tiene mà ¡s vida que las cosas que se recuerdan. (Nothing has more life than the things that are remembered.)Nada es lo que parece. (Nothing is what it seems.)No quiero participar en la discusià ³n sobre nada importante.  (I dont want to participate in the discussion about nothing important.) When  the Verb With Nada Is Negated However, when nada is the object of a verb, it is normal for the verb itself to be negated. Therefore, when translating such sentences, you usually have to translate nada as anything or something similar, or use the verb in a positive form. In the following examples, either translation is acceptable: No hay nada mà ¡s. (There isnt anything more. There is nothing more.)Este congreso no sirve para nada. (This Congress isnt worth anything. This Congress is worthless.)El manifestante hablà ³ dos horas sin decir nada. (The protester spoke for two hours without saying anything. The protester spoke for two hours and said nothing.)No hay nada mà ¡s grande que proteger los nià ±os. (There is nothing more important than protecting children. There isnt anything more important than protecting children.He decidido que no quiero comer nada con conservantes o aditivos. (I have decided I dont want to eat anything with preservatives or additives. I have decided I want to eat nothing with preservatives or additives.)No me gusta nada. (I dont like anything. I like nothing. Technically, nada is the subject of this sentence, but the double-negative rule still applies.) Using Nada for Emphasis Sometimes youll hear nada used as an adverb, where (after taking the double negative into account) it is usually used as an intensifier and thus can mean not at all: Mi hermano no estudia nada y no ayuda nada en casa. (My brother doesnt study at all nor help out at home at all.)Si tengo paraguas no corro nada.  (If I have an umbrella I dont run at all.)No aprendà ­ nada difà ­cil. (I didnt learn anything difficult at all.) Using Nada in Questions In questions, nada is nearly always used with a negative verb:  ¿No ha estudiado nada de eso? (You havent studied any of that?) ¿No puede ver nada el nià ±o?  (Cant the boy see anything?) ¿Por quà © no tenemos nada? (Why dont we have anything?) Phrases Using Nada Here are some common phrases using nada: ahà ­ es nada (similar to no big deal, a way of emphasizing and downplaying something at the same time): Han estado casados por 50 aà ±os. Ahi es nada. (They have been married for 50 years. No big deal.) antes que nada (most importantly, above everything else): Antes que nada, queremos que viva. (Above everything, we want him to live.)   de nada (unimportant, of little value): Traje a casa una monedas de nada. (I brought home some worthless coins.) The phrase de nada is also frequently used as the equivalent of youre welcome after gracias (thank you), similar to saying Its nothing after being thanked.   como si nada (as if it were nothing): Despuà ©s de todo lo que dije, salià ³ como si nada. (After everything I told him, he left as if it were nothing.) nada como (nothing like): No hay nada como el hogar. (There is no place like home.) Avoiding Confusion With Conjugated Nadar Nada meaning nothing shouldnt be confused with nada, the third-person present indicative form of nadar, to swim: Nada todas las maà ±anas en la piscina. (She swims every morning in the swimming pool.)El atleta nada a casi nueve kilà ³metros por hora. (The athlete swims at almost nine kilometers an hour.)Nada en agua frà ­a como si nada. (She swims in cold water as if it were nothing.) Key Takeaways Nada is the Spanish word for nothing.Because of the ways negatives are used in Spanish, nada is sometimes translated as anything.Nada is sometimes used as a word of emphasis.