Negarse Examples, Sentences and Quiz
Negarse means “to refuse”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Negarse means to refuse, and it is used for refusing to do something, refusing an offer and refusing to talk about a subject. It is always used with a plus an infinitive, as in negarse a ayudar, and it is a stem-changing verb, e to ie, so the present tense is where learners most often slip. This page shows negarse in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct present-tense form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Yo me niego a ayudar a su hermano.” — I refuse to help his brother.
Negarse in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how negarse is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.
In the present: everyday use
These sentences use negarse in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Me niego a ayudar a su hermano.” — I refuse to help his brother.
“¿Tú te niegas a salir de casa hoy?” — Do you refuse to leave the house today?
“Se niega a pagar el precio.” — He/she refuses to pay the price.
“Nos negamos a hablar del tema.” — We refuse to talk about the subject.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show negarse in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo me negué a ayudar a su hermano.” — Yesterday, I refused to help his brother. (preterite)
“Él se negaba a salir de casa hoy todos los días.” — He used to refuse to leave the house today every day. (imperfect)
Plans and things already done
These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of negarse stays the same.
“Nosotros nos negaremos a pagar el precio mañana.” — We will refuse to pay the price tomorrow. (future)
“¿Te has negado a hablar del tema?” — Have you refused to talk about the subject? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Os negáis a ayudar a su hermano.” — You refuse to help his brother.
“Se niegan a salir de casa hoy.” — They refuse to leave the house today.
“Me niego a pagar el precio.” — I refuse to pay the price.
“Se niega a hablar del tema.” — He/she refuses to talk about the subject.
Negarse in context
Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how negarse appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Lucía: “¿Tú te niegas a ayudar a su hermano?” — Do you refuse to help his brother?
Carlos: “Sí, yo me niego a ayudar a su hermano.” — Yes, I refuse to help his brother.
Lucía: “Nosotros nos negamos a salir de casa hoy.” — We refuse to leave the house today.
Carlos: “Y ellos se niegan a pagar el precio.” — And they refuse to pay the price.
Lucía: “Vosotros os negáis a hablar del tema.” — You refuse to talk about the subject.
Carlos: “Sí, y él se niega a salir de casa hoy.” — Yes, and he refuses to leave the house today.
A short paragraph
Lucía se niega a ayudar a su hermano, y Carlos se niega a salir de casa hoy. Nosotros nos negamos a pagar el precio, y ellos se niegan a hablar del tema. Yo me niego a pagar el precio, y mi padre se niega a hablar del tema. Negarse is part of everyday life, because to refuse is something Spanish speakers do again and again, in every tense and every situation.
Common mistakes with negarse
These are the errors learners actually make with negarse. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo niego a ayudar a su hermano.” Right: “Yo me niego a ayudar a su hermano.” Why: Negarse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
Wrong: “Yo nego a salir de casa hoy.” Right: “Yo niego a salir de casa hoy.” Why: Negarse is a stem-changing verb (e → ie), so the stem changes in the present singular and third-person plural. The nosotros form keeps the original stem.
Wrong: “Treating negarse and rechazar as identical in every context.” Right: “Negarse means to refuse, while rechazar means to reject.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: negarse fits sentences such as Me niego a ayudar a su hermano, while rechazar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy negado a salir de casa hoy.” Right: “Yo he negado a salir de casa hoy.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he negado, has negado, ha negado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo negué a pagar el precio todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo negaba a pagar el precio todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (negaba), not the preterite. The preterite (negué) is for one finished action.
Quiz: negarse in use
Ten questions on negarse in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ a ayudar a su hermano.” (To help his brother.)
- (a) os negáis
- (b) me niego
- (c) te niegas
Answer: os negáis — The vosotros/as form of negarse in the present is os negáis.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ a salir de casa hoy.” (To leave the house today.)
- (a) me niego
- (b) te niegas
- (c) se niegan
Answer: se niegan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of negarse in the present is se niegan.
3. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ a ayudar a su hermano.” (To help his brother.)
- (a) se negó
- (b) me negué
- (c) te negaste
Answer: me negué — The yo form of negarse in the preterite is me negué.
4. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ a salir de casa hoy.” (To leave the house today.)
- (a) se negaba
- (b) me negaba
- (c) te negabas
Answer: se negaba — The él/ella/Ud. form of negarse in the imperfect is se negaba.
5. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ a pagar el precio.” (To pay the price.)
- (a) me negaré
- (b) te negarás
- (c) nos negaremos
Answer: nos negaremos — The nosotros/as form of negarse in the future is nos negaremos.
6. What does negarse mean in English?
- (a) to adapt
- (b) to refuse
- (c) to reject
Answer: to refuse — Negarse means “to refuse”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo me niego a ayudar a su hermano.
- (b) Ellos niega a ayudar a su hermano.
- (c) Yo me niego a salir de casa hoy ayer.
Answer: Yo me niego a ayudar a su hermano. — “Yo me niego a ayudar a su hermano.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I refuse to help his brother.” in Spanish?
- (a) Yo se niegan a ayudar a su hermano.
- (b) Yo me negué a ayudar a su hermano.
- (c) Yo me niego a ayudar a su hermano.
Answer: Yo me niego a ayudar a su hermano. — “Yo me niego a ayudar a su hermano.” is the correct translation. The second option uses the wrong person's form, and the third uses the preterite.
9. What is the nosotros form of negarse in the present tense?
- (a) te niegas
- (b) nos negamos
- (c) me niego
Answer: nos negamos — The nosotros form is nos negamos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Ayer, yo me negué a ayudar a su hermano.
- (b) Nosotros nos negaremos a ayudar a su hermano mañana.
- (c) Yo me niego a ayudar a su hermano.
Answer: Yo me niego a ayudar a su hermano. — “Yo me niego a ayudar a su hermano.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I refuse' in Spanish?
Say 'Yo me niego a ayudar a su hermano'. The complement follows directly, as in the examples above. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Yo me niego a ayudar a su hermano todos los días'.
How do you say 'I refuse' in the past?
For one finished action, say 'Ayer, yo me negué a salir de casa hoy'. For a repeated habit, say 'Yo me negaba a salir de casa hoy todos los días'. For something already done, say 'Yo me he negado a salir de casa hoy'.
What is the difference between negarse and rechazar?
Negarse means to refuse, while rechazar means to reject. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use negarse when you mean to refuse, as in Me niego a ayudar a su hermano.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of negarse — every tense of negarse in one place.
- Negarse in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on negarse and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of negarse until they are automatic.