The Present Tense of negar is used to express denial, refusal, or negation happening in the present moment. For example, Yo niego las acusaciones. (I deny the accusations.)
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 (Latin American Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | niego |
| Tú | niegas |
| Él / Ella / Usted | niega |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | negamos |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | niegan |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Negar (to deny) in the Present Tense to help you learn faster.
Pro Tip: Play the audio on a loop as you study the chart. This repetition will solidify the correct conjugations in your memory.
Usage of Negar in the Present Tense
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 ayudarnos con la mudanza. (She refuses to help us with the move.)
To contradict: For example, Él niega todo lo que digo. (He contradicts everything I say.)
To reject: For example, Niego aceptar esas condiciones. (I reject accepting those conditions.)
To withhold (colloquial): For example, No me niegues un abrazo, ¿quieres? (Don’t withhold a hug from me, will you?)
To disavow (colloquial): For example, Niega ser un mentiroso. (He disavows being a liar.)
Examples
Examples of Negar in the Present Tense
Yo niego que haya hecho trampa en el examen. (I deny having cheated on the exam.)
Tú niegas la evidencia, a pesar de que es abrumadora. (You deny the evidence, even though it’s overwhelming.)
Ella niega haber visto la película, pero todos sabemos que miente. (She denies having seen the movie, but we all know she’s lying.)
Nosotros negamos rotundamente las acusaciones en nuestra contra. (We flatly deny the accusations against us.)
Ellos niegan su participación en el crimen, aunque las pruebas los incriminan. (They deny their involvement in the crime, even though the evidence incriminates them.)
Mi amigo niega haber dicho esas palabras ofensivas. (My friend denies having said those offensive words.)
La compañía niega rotundamente las acusaciones de prácticas laborales injustas. (The company flatly denies the accusations of unfair labor practices.)
Los manifestantes niegan haber causado disturbios durante la protesta. (The protesters deny having caused disturbances during the protest.)
El político niega enfáticamente los cargos de corrupción en su contra. (The politician emphatically denies the corruption charges against him.)
La estrella de cine niega los rumores de un romance con su co-estrella. (The movie star denies the rumors of a romance with her co-star.)
El equipo de fútbol niega haber hecho trampa durante el partido. (The soccer team denies having cheated during the match.)
La empresa niega haber violado las normas ambientales. (The company denies having violated environmental regulations.)
El gobierno niega las acusaciones de violaciones a los derechos humanos. (The government denies the accusations of human rights violations.)
El artista niega haber plagiado la obra de otro artista. (The artist denies having plagiarized another artist’s work.)
El chef niega haber robado la receta secreta de otro restaurante. (The chef denies having stolen the secret recipe from another restaurant.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Negar (to deny) in the Present Tense tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo niego | I deny |
| Tú niegas | You deny |
| Él / Ella / Usted niega | He / She / You denies |
| Nosotros / Nosotras negamos | We deny |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes niegan | They / You all deny |
This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian 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.