no + verb + "nada"?

Question

Why is it that to say "say nothing" in Spanish, one would write "no habla de nada"? Why the extra "no"? Another example: "I know nothing" translates to "Yo no se nada".

Answer 1

In Spanish, no sE nada is normal for I don't know anything, since Yo is understood to be the form of "I" which is conjugated as "sE". (I capitalized the E in se since the e is accented when written). You are using the verb, saber, which means to know a fact. In the present tense, yo sE is the proper form of this verb.

Also, when you say 'no habla de nada', you are really saying he/she/it do/does speak (hablar-to speak) of something. Just like in America, two negatives make a positive statement. Hablar is to speak, saber is to know. How about saying no hablo algo/o alguna cosa? I referenced my Spanish materials to find different nuances of these phrases. I hope my explanations make sense to you.