nunca
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: ñunca
Asturian
Alternative forms
Etymology
Adverb
nunca
Galician
Etymology
Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese nunca, from Latin numquam (“never”).
Pronunciation
Adverb
nunca
Derived terms
References
- Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, Ana Isabel Boullón Agrelo (2006–2022) “nunca”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
- Xavier Varela Barreiro, Xavier Gómez Guinovart (2006–2018) “nunca”, in Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
- Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “nunca”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
- Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “nunca”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
- Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “nunca”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN
Macanese
Etymology
From Portuguese nunca (“never”).
Pronunciation
Adverb
nunca
- negation particle usually (but not always) used in the past tense; did not, had not, would not
- Antonym: já
- Êle nunca vêm ― He did not come
- Êle já vai maz nunca volta ― He left but did not return
- Iou nunca capaz ― I wouldn't dare
- sâm nunca? ― isn't it?
- nunca nâ ― not yet
Usage notes
- Unlike the Portuguese word, nunca in Macanese usually does not mean "never"; nunca-si is used instead.
- sâm nunca is a common casual phrase used by Macanese as a question looking for confirmation at the end of an affirmative statement, similar to English innit. They may also use é-né for the same purpose, with both phrases being a calque of Cantonese 係咪 / 系咪 at different stages of the creole.
See also
Particle
nunca
- imperative article expressing negative future tense; don't
- Synonym: nê-bôm
- Nunca assí pensam ― Don't worry
Derived terms
- nunca-bôm (“don't (imperative)”)
- nunca-si
Interjection
nunca
Usage notes
References
Portuguese
Etymology
From Old Galician-Portuguese nunca, from Latin numquam (“never”).
Pronunciation
- Hyphenation: nun‧ca
Adverb
nunca (not comparable)
- never (at no time; not ever)
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:nunca
- Nunca vi esse filme.
- I have never seen this film.
- Nunca tenha certeza do sucesso.
- Never be sure of success.
- 2005, J. K. Rowling, translated by Lia Wyler, Harry Potter e o Enigma do Príncipe [Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince] (Harry Potter; 6), Rio de Janeiro: Rocco, →ISBN, page 139:
- Você nunca me deu a impressão de gostar tanto assim da matéria.
- You never gave me the impression of liking that subject so much.
Quotations
For quotations using this term, see Citations:nunca.
Derived terms
- antes tarde do que nunca
- mais do que nunca
- nunca mais
Descendants
Noun
nunca m (plural nuncas)
Spanish
Etymology
Inherited from Old Spanish nunqua, from Latin numquam, from ne + umquam.
Pronunciation
Adverb
nunca
- never
- Synonyms: jamás, en su vida
- Nunca he probado la langosta.
- I've never tasted lobster.
- 2008, Fausto Ponce, Fuera de lugar, Lulu.com, page 7:
- Nunca te va a hacer una chingadera.
- He will never screw you over.
- ever
- Estamos mejor que nunca.
- We're better than ever.
Derived terms
Further reading
- “nunca”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10
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