Spanish Words That Start With N: 30 Essentials
🇪🇸 Spanish · 30 cards · A2 · by Lucía Herrera
These are the N-words my students actually meet in their first year: the negative trio nada, nadie and nunca, everyday nouns like noche, nube and nieto, and the verbs that keep coming back (necesitar, nacer, nadar, notar).
Two things trip people up. First, Spanish stacks negatives on purpose: no tengo nada is correct, and dropping the no is what sounds wrong. Second, placement is flexible — nadie and nunca can go before the verb (no no needed) or after it (with no). Where Spain and Mexico say things differently, like zumo and jugo, the notes say so. Read every example out loud before you flip the card.
Flip through the cards, then switch to Quiz. Tap the play button on any row to hear it. The full table below is there to read, print or copy into your own flashcard app.
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All 30 cards
| # | Spanish | English | Example | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | no Also the standard way to negate a verb: no quiero, no puedo. | no, not | No, gracias, ya he comido. No thanks, I've already eaten. | |
| 2 | nada Keep the 'no' before the verb: 'no tengo nada', never 'tengo nada'. | nothing, anything | No tengo nada que hacer hoy. I have nothing to do today. | |
| 3 | nadie Before the verb it stands alone; after the verb you need 'no': 'no vino nadie'. | nobody, no one | Nadie sabe dónde están las llaves. Nobody knows where the keys are. | |
| 4 | nunca 'No he probado nunca el sushi' means exactly the same thing. | never | Nunca he probado el sushi. I've never tried sushi. | |
| 5 | noche Feminine: la noche. 'Buenas noches' works as both hello and goodbye after dark. | night | Trabajo de noche y duermo de día. I work at night and sleep during the day. | |
| 6 | nombre Masculine: el nombre. Surname is 'apellido', not 'nombre'. | name, first name | Escribe tu nombre aquí, por favor. Write your name here, please. | |
| 7 | nuevo Feminine: nueva. After the noun it means brand new; before it ('un nuevo coche') it means another/different one. | new | Mi vecina se ha comprado un coche nuevo. My neighbour has bought a new car. | |
| 8 | necesitar Regular -ar verb. No preposition before an infinitive: necesito ir. | to need | Necesito hablar contigo un momento. I need to talk to you for a moment. | |
| 9 | niño Feminine 'niña'; 'los niños' covers a mixed group of children. | child, boy | El niño se durmió en el sofá. The little boy fell asleep on the sofa. | |
| 10 | nuestro Agrees with the thing owned, not the owners: nuestra casa, nuestros hijos. | our | Nuestro piso es pequeño pero luminoso. Our flat is small but bright. | |
| 11 | ni 'ni... ni' = neither... nor. On its own it means 'not even': ni lo intentó. | nor, not even | No quiero ni agua ni café. I don't want water or coffee. | |
| 12 | negro Adjective and masculine noun for the colour. Feminine adjective: negra. | black | Siempre viste de negro. He always dresses in black. | |
| 13 | número Masculine: el número, stress on the first syllable. Also shoe size: ¿qué número calzas? | number | ¿Me das tu número de teléfono? Can you give me your phone number? | |
| 14 | nivel Masculine: el nivel, plural los niveles. | level | Mi nivel de inglés es intermedio. My level of English is intermediate. | |
| 15 | noticia Feminine: la noticia. Singular for one item; 'las noticias' is also the news programme. | news item, piece of news | Tengo una buena noticia para ti. I have some good news for you. | |
| 16 | normal Same form for both genders: un día normal, una vida normal. | normal, usual | Es normal equivocarse al principio. It's normal to make mistakes at the beginning. | |
| 17 | necesario Feminine: necesaria. 'Es necesario que' takes the subjunctive: que vengas, que lo hagas. | necessary | No es necesario que vengas mañana. You don't need to come tomorrow. | |
| 18 | nariz Feminine: la nariz, plural las narices. | nose | Me duele la nariz por el frío. My nose hurts from the cold. | |
| 19 | naranja Feminine as a fruit: la naranja. 'Zumo' in Spain, 'jugo' in Mexico. As a colour it usually stays invariable: camisetas naranja. | orange (fruit); orange (colour) | Todas las mañanas me tomo un zumo de naranja. Every morning I have an orange juice. | |
| 20 | nube Feminine: la nube. 'Estar en las nubes' = to be daydreaming. | cloud | Hoy no hay ni una nube en el cielo. There isn't a single cloud in the sky today. | |
| 21 | norte Masculine and normally used with the article: el norte, al norte, del norte. | north | Mis abuelos viven en el norte de España. My grandparents live in the north of Spain. | |
| 22 | nieve Feminine: la nieve. The verb is 'nevar': está nevando. | snow | Los niños jugaban en la nieve. The children were playing in the snow. | |
| 23 | Navidad Feminine (la Navidad) and capitalised. In Spain people often say 'las Navidades' for the whole season. | Christmas | En Navidad cenamos todos juntos. At Christmas we all have dinner together. | |
| 24 | novio Feminine 'novia'. At a wedding it means groom/bride. | boyfriend, groom | Mi novio cocina mejor que yo. My boyfriend cooks better than me. | |
| 25 | nacer Irregular yo form: nazco. Use the simple past of nacer for births: 'nací en 1990', never 'fui nacido'. | to be born | Nací en un pueblo muy pequeño. I was born in a very small village. | |
| 26 | nadar Regular -ar verb. 'Saber nadar' is how you say you know how to swim. | to swim | No sé nadar muy bien. I can't swim very well. | |
| 27 | notar Very common in the impersonal 'se nota que...' = you can tell that...: 'se nota que estás cansada'. | to notice, to feel | Noto un olor raro en la cocina. I notice a strange smell in the kitchen. | |
| 28 | nervioso Feminine: nerviosa. With 'estar' it's a passing feeling; with 'ser' it describes a jumpy personality. | nervous | Estoy nervioso por la entrevista. I'm nervous about the interview. | |
| 29 | negocio Masculine: el negocio. 'Los negocios' = business in general; 'un buen negocio' = a good deal. | business, deal | Abrió un negocio de ropa en el centro. She opened a clothes business downtown. | |
| 30 | nieto Masculine; feminine 'nieta'. 'Los nietos' = grandchildren. | grandson, grandchild | Su nieto ya tiene diez años. Her grandson is already ten. |
Native Spanish speaker from Valencia, now in Mexico City. I tutor Spanish online and keep a notebook of the words my students trip over. Every deck here comes from that notebook.
Questions about this deck
- Why do Spanish sentences like "no tengo nada" have two negatives?
- Spanish uses negative agreement. When a negative word such as nada, nadie or nunca comes after the verb, the verb still needs 'no': 'no tengo nada', 'no viene nadie', 'no lo hago nunca'. It counts as one negation, not a double one. If the negative word moves in front of the verb, the 'no' disappears: 'nada me sorprende', 'nadie viene', 'nunca lo hago'.
- What is the difference between "un coche nuevo" and "un nuevo coche"?
- After the noun, nuevo means brand new: 'un coche nuevo' is a car straight from the dealership. Before the noun it usually means another one, a replacement: 'un nuevo coche' is a different car, which may well be second-hand. The same shift happens with other adjectives, for example 'un amigo viejo' (an elderly friend) versus 'un viejo amigo' (a friend of many years).
- Does "naranja" change form when it describes a colour?
- Normally no. As a colour adjective naranja tends to stay invariable: 'unos zapatos naranja', 'una camiseta naranja'. You will hear the plural 'naranjas' from some speakers and it is accepted, but the invariable form is the safe choice. As a fruit it is a feminine noun and pluralises normally: 'compré tres naranjas'.
- Is "noticia" singular or plural for "news"?
- Use the singular for one item: 'tengo una noticia', 'una mala noticia'. The plural 'las noticias' means either several items or the news broadcast: 'voy a ver las noticias a las nueve'. Unlike English 'news', noticia is countable, so 'a piece of news' is simply 'una noticia'.
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