Spanish word

jamás

Pronunciation

IPA/xaˈmas/

Meaning

  • adverbnever

Example

No lo haré jamás.

I will never do it.

Illustration for jamás (never)

More examples

Jamás imaginé que acabaríamos así.

I never imagined that we would end up like this.

Core concept

A calendar with every future date crossed out.

Common phrases

  • jamás confiar

    never trust

  • jamás imaginar

    never imagine

Similar words

nunca: Never at any time, past or future, stating that something does not occur even once.
en absoluto: Absolutely not; intensifies a negative to mean completely nonexistent or untrue.
para nada: Not at all in casual speech; expresses a strong, colloquial denial.
de ningún modo: Under no circumstances; firmly denies any possibility or allowance.

Definition in Spanish

Expresa una negación absoluta y señala que algo no ha ocurrido ni ocurrirá jamás; se emplea con frecuencia en frases enfáticas o dramáticas.

Word origin

From Latin iam 'already' plus magis 'more', which fuse in late Latin and develop into Spanish jamás to express absolute negation.

Usage tips

  • 'Jamás' is stronger than 'nunca' and is often used with 'no' for emphatic or dramatic negation, and the fixed pairing 'nunca jamás' intensifies to 'never ever'.

Opposites

  • siemprealwaysadverb
  • frecuentementefrequentlyadverb

Word lists with this word