negar con la cabeza
verbCEFR B1
What does “negar con la cabeza” mean in English?
to shake one's head
to shake one's head (as gesture of denial or disagreement — con la cabeza required to specify the gesture; without it, negar = to deny verbally)
Example sentences
Le preguntamos si quería más comida y negó con la cabeza con una sonrisa; claramente ya estaba satisfecha.
We asked him if he wanted more food and he shook his head with a smile; he was clearly satisfied.
Cuando el árbitro señaló el penalti, el portero negó con la cabeza varias veces, pero la decisión fue definitiva.
When the referee pointed to the penalty spot, the goalkeeper shook his head several times, but the decision was final.
Ante la pregunta del juez, el acusado negó con la cabeza y luego añadió que no tenía nada que ver con los hechos.
In response to the judge's question, the accused shook his head and then added that he had nothing to do with the events.
How to use it
Negar con la cabeza is the idiomatic phrase for 'to shake one's head' as a non-verbal gesture of denial or disagreement. Negar alone means 'to deny' or 'to refuse' (negó haber estado allí = he denied having been there), so the phrase con la cabeza is what specifies the physical gesture. Without it, negar is a verbal act. This is a multi-word lexical unit and should be learned as a chunk. Contrasts directly with asentir con la cabeza.
Common mistake
Negar alone does not mean 'to shake one's head' — it means 'to deny' (a fact or allegation). The gesture reading only arises with con la cabeza. Also: negar con la cabeza is the HEAD gesture; sacudir la cabeza is a broader movement. In student writing, negar often appears with the wrong meaning because of the cognate 'negate'.