How to Say "no one" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “no one” is “nadie” — use 'nadie' when referring to the general absence of people, meaning 'nobody' or 'no one' in a broad sense..
nadie
/NAH-dyeh//ˈna.ðje/
Examples
No hay nadie en la casa.
There is nobody in the house.
Nadie sabe la respuesta.
No one knows the answer.
No quiero hablar con nadie.
I don't want to talk to anyone.
The Spanish Double Negative
In Spanish, it's correct to say 'No... nadie'. It might feel strange, but think of it as adding extra emphasis. 'No vino nadie' is the right way to say 'Nobody came'.
Starting a Sentence with 'Nadie'
If 'nadie' starts the sentence, you don't need to use 'no'. For example, 'Nadie vino' means 'Nobody came' and is just as correct as 'No vino nadie'.
Always Acts Singular
Even though 'nadie' means zero people, the verb that follows it is always in the 'he/she' form. For example, 'Nadie sabe' (Nobody knows), not 'Nadie saben'.
The 'Personal a'
When 'nobody' is the one receiving an action, you need to put 'a' in front of 'nadie'. For example, 'No vi a nadie' (I didn't see anyone).
Forgetting the 'no'
Mistake: “Vino nadie a la fiesta.”
Correction: No vino nadie a la fiesta. When 'nadie' comes after the verb, you almost always need 'no' before the verb.
Using 'Nadie' for Things
Mistake: “En la caja no hay nadie.”
Correction: En la caja no hay nada. Use 'nadie' only for people. For things, use 'nada' (nothing).
Forgetting the 'personal a'
Mistake: “No conozco nadie aquí.”
Correction: No conozco a nadie aquí. When 'nobody' is receiving the action from the verb (like 'knowing' them), you need to add the 'a'.
ninguno
/neen-GOO-no//ninˈɡuno/
Examples
¿Cuántos libros tienes? — Ninguno.
How many books do you have? — None.
Ninguno de mis amigos habla japonés.
None of my friends speak Japanese.
Le pregunté a varias personas, pero ninguna sabía la respuesta.
I asked several people, but no one knew the answer.
Stands Alone to Replace a Noun
As a pronoun, 'ninguno' takes the place of a noun. Use 'ninguno' for masculine things/people and 'ninguna' for feminine ones. Example: '¿Quieres una galleta? No, gracias, no quiero ninguna.' (Want a cookie? No thanks, I don't want one.)
The Plural Form is Super Rare
You will almost never see 'ningunos' or 'ningunas'. It’s only used for things that are always plural, like 'gafas' (glasses). For now, just focus on using the singular forms.
Mixing up 'ninguno' and 'nadie'
Mistake: “Ninguno está en casa.”
Correction: Nadie está en casa. Use 'nadie' for 'nobody' in general. Use 'ninguno' when you mean 'none of a specific group', like 'Ninguno de los estudiantes está en casa' (None of the students is at home).
Nadie vs. Ninguno
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