ni siquiera
adverbCEFR B1High frequency
What does “ni siquiera” mean in English?
not even
not even (scalar negation — denies even the minimum expectation)
Example sentences
Ni siquiera me llamó para explicarme lo que había pasado; ni siquiera había enviado un mensaje de texto para avisar.
He didn't even call me to explain what had happened; he hadn't even sent a text message to warn me.
No tengo ni siquiera cinco minutos para explicártelo ahora; lo hablamos esta tarde con más calma.
I don't even have five minutes to explain it to you now; we'll talk about it this afternoon more calmly.
Ni siquiera los expertos más experimentados pudieron encontrar la solución, así que no te preocupes si tú tampoco puedes.
Not even the most experienced experts could find the solution, so don't worry if you can't either.
How to use it
Ni siquiera (not even) is a scalar negation marker that emphasises the most extreme or minimal element in a scale — if even this minimum doesn't apply, then nothing does. In a negative sentence, ni siquiera appears before the element being negated. When ni siquiera begins a sentence, no additional no is needed before the verb. When it appears mid-sentence after a conjugated verb, the verb is already negated: no me llamó ni siquiera una vez.
Common mistake
Do not double the negative when ni siquiera leads the sentence: 'ni siquiera vino' (correct) not '*ni siquiera no vino'. When placed after a negated verb, no extra negation is needed either: 'no dijo ni siquiera gracias'. Ni siquiera is much stronger than tampoco — use it when even the minimum expectation fails.