Spanish vocabulary · Beginner
Deny in Spanish: Negar
Negar · verb · neh-GAHR
Negar is the Spanish verb meaning to deny, covering both the denial of truth (saying something is not true) and the refusal of access or rights. It is a stem-changing verb (e→ie) in the present tense. For formal or legal denial of requests, 'denegar' is preferred. The reflexive form 'negarse a' means to refuse to do something.
neh-GAHR
El acusado negó todas las acusaciones en el juicio.
The accused denied all charges at the trial.
Deny in Spanish: Quick Reference
Below are the most common Spanish words for deny, with pronunciation and regional usage notes.
| Spanish | English | Pronunciation | Region / Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| negar | deny | neh-GAHR | Default, widely understood |
| denegar | deny | formal/legal (deny a request) | |
| rechazar | deny | reject/refuse |
How Native Speakers Use Negar
Real example sentences across three contexts you'll actually run into.
Accusation
El político niega haber recibido dinero de forma ilegal.
The politician denies having received money illegally.
Public denial of accusations.
Legal denial
Le denegaron la visa por falta de documentación.
They denied his visa due to lack of documentation.
Official denial of an application.
Refusal
Se negó a firmar el contrato sin leerlo primero.
She refused to sign the contract without reading it first.
Personal refusal to perform an action.
Avoid These Mistakes When Using Negar
Stem change error
Incorrect: Yo nego que eso sea verdad.
Correct: Yo niego que eso sea verdad.
Negar undergoes a stem change from e→ie in the present tense for all forms except nosotros and vosotros. The first person singular is 'niego,' not 'nego.'
Confusing negar with denegar
Incorrect: Negaron mi solicitud de residencia.
Correct: Denegaron mi solicitud de residencia.
For official or bureaucratic denial of applications and requests, 'denegar' is the appropriate legal term. 'Negar' is used for denying truth or facts, not for rejecting formal petitions.
Lock in Deny Vocabulary with the Parrot Method
Why word lists alone don't stick
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See Negar used by native speakers
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Common Questions About Deny in Spanish
- What is the difference between negar and denegar?
- Negar means to deny something is true (denial of facts or accusations). Denegar means to officially reject or deny a request, application, or petition. Think of denegar as the bureaucratic or legal version — it appears in official documents when authorities refuse permissions or approvals.
- How do I conjugate negar in present tense?
- Negar has an e→ie stem change: niego, niegas, niega, negamos, negáis, niegan. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the regular 'e.' In the preterite, it is regular (negué, negaste, negó...) except for the first person which needs a 'u' to preserve the hard G sound before 'é.'
- How do you say 'deny access' in Spanish?
- To deny access translates as 'denegar el acceso' or 'negar el acceso.' Both work, though 'denegar' sounds more formal and official. For technology contexts (like access denied on a computer), the message typically reads 'Acceso denegado.'