What does nunca in Spanish mean?

What is the meaning of the word nunca in Spanish? The article explains the full meaning, pronunciation along with bilingual examples and instructions on how to use nunca in Spanish.

The word nunca in Spanish means never, now or never, i before e except after c, like never before, never ending story, never-ending, leave never to return, better than ever, never, never have harmed a fly, no... never, never say die, never say never, never again, please, you learn something new every day, you are never happy with your lot, you never know, live the way you think but never think the way you live. To learn more, please see the details below.

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Meaning of the word nunca

never

adverbio (en ningún momento)

(adverb: Describes a verb, adjective, adverb, or clause--for example, "come quickly," "very rare," "happening now," "fall down.")
Nunca he mentido y no pienso empezar ahora.
ⓘEsta oración no es una traducción de la original. I don't think I'll ever remember where I parked my car.

now or never

expresión (momento adecuado)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Tengo veinticinco años, nada que me ate y ganas de viajar, ¡es ahora o nunca!
I'm twenty-five years old, have nothing tying me down and want to travel. It's now or never!

i before e except after c

expresión (infantil (regla ortográfica) (grammar)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
No se escribe canbio, sino cambio. Antes de pe y be con eme escribiré.

like never before

locución adverbial (como ninguna vez)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
La cena estuvo divertida como nunca.
Dinner was exciting like never before.

never ending story

nombre masculino (historia que se repite)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Querer que los jóvenes limpien su cuarto es el cuento de nunca acabar.
Wanting younger kids to clean their rooms is a never ending story.

never-ending

locución adjetiva (informal (que no tiene fin)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
La política es un tema de nunca acabar, así que mejor hablemos de otra cosa.
Politics is a never-ending topic, so we might as well talk about something else.

leave never to return

locución verbal (marcharse para siempre)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Después de la guerra, los invasores se fueron para nunca volver.
After the war, the invaders left never to return.

better than ever

locución adverbial (jamás así de bien)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Después de que me operaron, me siento mejor que nunca.
After they operated on me, I feel better than ever.

never

expresión (jamás)

(adverb: Describes a verb, adjective, adverb, or clause--for example, "come quickly," "very rare," "happening now," "fall down.")
¡No te casarás con ese hombre ni ahora ni nunca!
You will not marry that man, neither now nor ever.

never have harmed a fly

locución verbal (coloquial (persona: no tener falta)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Juan tiene un aire cándido, parece que no ha roto nunca un plato.

no... never

locución adverbial (expresa negación)

(adverb: Describes a verb, adjective, adverb, or clause--for example, "come quickly," "very rare," "happening now," "fall down.")
No, Rembrandt nunca salió de Holanda.

never say die, never say never

expresión (lo inesperado puede ocurrir)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Nunca digas nunca porque nadie conoce el futuro.

never again

locución adverbial (jamás en la vida)

(adverb: Describes a verb, adjective, adverb, or clause--for example, "come quickly," "very rare," "happening now," "fall down.")
Nunca jamás volveré a verte.
I will never see you again.

please

expresión (informal (es imposible complacer a todos) (make happy)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Mi hijo mayor está enfadado porque vimos la película que eligió su hermana: nunca llueve a gusto de todos.

you learn something new every day

expresión (siempre se aprende algo)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

you are never happy with your lot

expresión (disconformidad eterna) (literally)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Uno nunca está conforme con lo que tiene; siempre quiere más.
ⓘEsta oración no es una traducción de la original. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, never on your own.

you never know

expresión (considerar posibilidades)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")

live the way you think but never think the way you live

expresión (ser congruente)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

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Related words of nunca

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Spanish (español), also known as Castilla, is a language of the Iberian-Romance group of the Romance languages, and the 4th most common language in the world according to Some sources, while others list it as a 2nd or 3rd most common language. It is the mother tongue of about 352 million people, and is spoken by 417 million people when adding its speakers as a language. sub (estimated in 1999). Spanish and Portuguese have very similar grammar and vocabulary; The number of similar vocabulary of these two languages is up to 89%. Spanish is the primary language of 20 countries around the world. It is estimated that the total number of speakers of Spanish is between 470 and 500 million, making it the second most widely spoken language in the world by number of native speakers.