"Eu não vi ninguém."

Translation: I did not see anybody.

[srshti]

Wouldn't this be a double negative in Portuguese? ninguém = nobody along with the não on the verb. It would read something like "I did not see nobody".

[Paulenrique]

In Portuguese we use double negative... i'll put some literal translations: "não comemos nada" = "we didnt eat nothing" / "não foram a nenhum lugar" = "they didnt go nowhere" / "ele não fez nada" = "he didnt do nothing". That may sound a bit strange, but we say things this way...

[srshti]

Fair enough. Thanks.

[ketoacidosis]

Would it be incorrect to say "comemos nada" or "ele fez nada"?

[Paulenrique]

Yeah,we dont say things this way. Some people who stop to think about the language think: "but if we "não comemos nada" we ate something!!!! How can we "not eat nothing"??? Its strange, even though we use double negative everytime, everywhere! Another example: " ele NUNCA come NADA" (he NEVER eats NOTHING)!!! But that means "he never eats anything"

[ketoacidosis]

That's really interesting, obrigado novamente!

[deactivated user]

It's also commonplace in the hood to use double negative with the dindus who dindu nuffin.

[Jayway223]

So, doub negatives are common in Portuguese like Spanish?

[Jayway223]

*Double