The Present Tense of negar is used to express denial, refusal, or negation happening in the present moment. For example, Niego haber cometido ese crimen. (I deny having committed that crime.)

Negar is a stem-changing verb, meaning the stem vowel changes from ‘e’ to ‘ie’ in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Negar (to deny) in the Present Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):

Negar generally means to deny or refuse, but has several different meanings in the Present Tense, some of which might surprise you.

To deny: For example, Yo niego haber robado el dinero. (I deny having stolen the money.)

To refuse: For example, Ella niega ayudarme con la tarea. (She refuses to help me with the homework.)

To contradict: For example, Tú niegas todo lo que digo. (You contradict everything I say.)

To reject: For example, Vosotros negáis la realidad. (You reject reality.)

To withhold: For example, Ellos no nos niegan la información. (They don’t withhold information from us.)

Colloquial usage: For example, ¿Niegas que eres un mentiroso? (Are you denying that you’re a liar?)

Examples

Examples of Negar in the Present Tense

Yo niego haber tomado el dinero de tu cartera. (I deny having taken the money from your wallet.)

Tú niegas la verdad, pero todos sabemos que estuviste allí. (You deny the truth, but we all know you were there.)

Ella niega rotundamente haber cometido ese crimen. (She flatly denies having committed that crime.)

Nosotros negamos las acusaciones en nuestra contra. (We deny the accusations against us.)

Ustedes negáis la evidencia científica sobre el cambio climático. (You deny the scientific evidence about climate change.)

Ellos niegan la existencia de la discriminación racial. (They deny the existence of racial discrimination.)

Mi amigo niega haber copiado en el examen, pero el profesor lo vio. (My friend denies having cheated on the exam, but the teacher saw him.)

Los políticos niegan sus errores y culpan a otros. (The politicians deny their mistakes and blame others.)

La compañía niega haber contaminado el río, pero los residentes están enfermos. (The company denies having polluted the river, but the residents are sick.)

Los adolescentes a veces niegan la realidad y se meten en problemas. (Teenagers sometimes deny reality and get into trouble.)

Aunque niegas tus sentimientos, es obvio que todavía la amas. (Although you deny your feelings, it’s obvious you still love her.)

Los fanáticos niegan los hechos y se aferran a sus creencias. (The fanatics deny the facts and cling to their beliefs.)

El gobierno niega haber espiado a sus ciudadanos, pero hay pruebas. (The government denies having spied on its citizens, but there is evidence.)

Los padres a veces niegan los problemas de sus hijos por vergüenza. (Parents sometimes deny their children’s problems out of shame.)

Aunque niegas tus errores, debes aprender de ellos para mejorar. (Although you deny your mistakes, you must learn from them to improve.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Negar (to deny) in the Present Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Present tense is also known as the Simple Present, Present Simple, Present Tense, or Present Indicative in English, and as Presente de Indicativo, Presente Simple, Tiempo Presente, or Indicativo Presente in Spanish.