Tampoco vs Tambien: The Definitive Guide for Spanish Learners
También and tampoco are two little words in Spanish that seem confusingly similar, especially because you use both of them to agree with another person! Luckily, it’s easy to distinguish the situations in which you’ll need también vs tampoco and learn how to use them properly.
In this blog post, you can find a detailed, step-by step explanation of también vs tampoco with many examples. At the end, take the quiz to check your understanding of this new grammar topic.
But wait!
Before we jump into the explanation, let me present you with a little riddle. To get the correct answer, you must understand the difference between también and tampoco:
En naranja tres veces, En manzana también, ninguna estoy en nueces ni tampoco en miel.
The translation is a mystery! (Unless you scroll to the bottom of the page, of course)
Instead, read on to uncover the answer on your own.
También vs. Tampoco
While también and tampoco both express agreement, this occurs in completely different scenarios. Both words function as adverbs, but their function differs in that:
- También expresses agreement with positive statements.
- Tampoco expresses agreement with negative statements.
That’s easy to start with, right?
Now, let’s explore también and tampoco in detail to get a better grasp of the differences and usage.
Agreement in Spanish
It’s important to remember that you’ll use también and tampoco to agree with what somebody said before. I’ll explain later how to disagree.
También
This adverb translates into “too” or “also” in English. When somebody says an affirmative sentence in Spanish, and you want to agree with it and emphasize the similarity of your situation with the one that the speaker is in, you’ll use también.
Look at these examples:
Ana: Vivo aquí al lado.
María: ¿qué coincidencia! ¡Yo también!
Ana: I live next door.
María: What a coincidence! Me too!
Andrés: Trabajo en una tienda de juguetes.
Pablo: ¡Yo también!
Andrés: I work in a toy store.
Pablo: Me too!
In both situations, Ana and Andrés said affirmative sentences and María and Pablo agreed with them using también.
Tampoco
On the other hand, tampoco translates to “neither” or “either.” You’ll use this adverb to agree with a negative statement expressed by another person.
Ana: Yo no vivo aquí.
María: yo tampoco.
Ana: I don’t live here.
María: Me neither. / Neither do I.
Ana says that she does not live here and María agrees with her and says that neither does she.
Andrés: Yo no trabajo en una tienda de ropa.
Pablo: Yo tampoco.
Andrés: I don’t work in a clothes store.
Pablo: Me neither. / Neither do I.
Pablo reacts to what Andrés says about not working in a clothes store, and confirms that he doesn’t work in one either.
Agreeing with the verb gustar and other similar verbs
You surely remember that Spanish verbs like gustar (to like) use slightly different structure from typical sentence structure of Subject-Verb-Object.
Need a refresher first? 21 Verbs Like Gustar You Should Start Using in Spanish Conversation
These verbs also use a different structure for expressing agreement.
Instead of saying yo también, you say a mí también.
Instead of yo tampoco, say a mí tampoco.
To form this with any person, substitute the subject pronoun (for example, yo) with a + indirect object pronoun (a mí).
Ana: Me gusta la playa.
María: A mí también.
Ana: I like the beach.
María; Me too.
Andrés: No me gustan los camarones.
Pedro: A mí tampoco.
Andrés: I don’t like shrimps.
Pedro: Neither do I.
Other verbs that work the same way as gustar are:
| English | Spanish |
| to bore / get tired of | aburrir |
| to please | agradar |
| to cheer up / make happy | alegrar |
| to feel like / crave | apetecer |
| to frighten / scare | asustar |
| to be a good idea / suit / be convenient | convenir |
| to cost / be hard | costar |
| to amuse / entertain | divertir |
| to hurt / ache | doler |
| to love | encantar |
| to be missing / be absent | faltar |
| to fascinate / captivate | fascinar |
| to favor / encourage | favorecer |
| to matter / mind / care | importar |
| to interest / concern | interesar |
| to bother / annoy / upset | molestar |
| to seem / look like | parecer |
| to sting / bite / itch / chop | picar |
| to worry / be concerned | preocupar |
| to be left / to stay | quedar |
| to be left over / not be needed | sobrar |
Me aburre la película.
A mí tambien.
The movie bores me.
It bothers me too.
No me interesa lo que dice ella.
A mí tampoco.
I don’t care what she says.
Me neither.
No nos favorece este acuerdo.
A nosotros tampoco.
This agreement does not do us any good.
Neither to us.
Disagreeing in Spanish
But what happens if somebody says something but you don’t agree?
That’s even easier than también and tampoco. See yourself!
Disagreeing With Affirmative Sentences.
Let’s look at how to disagree with an affirmative statement by using the same examples we explored above.
Ana: Vivo aquí al lado.
María: Yo no. Yo vivo en las afueras.
Ana: I live next door.
María: I don’t. I live in the outskirts.
Andrés: Trabajo en una tienda de juguetes.
Pablo: Yo no. Estoy desempleado.
Andrés: I work in a toy store.
Pablo: I don’t. I am unemployed.
You see. It’s easy. You only say yo no when disagreeing with affirmative sentences!
Meanwhile, If the affirmative sentence uses a verb like gustar, you’ll reply: a mí no.
Ana: Me gusta la playa.
María: A mí no.
Ana: I like the beach.
María: I don’t.
Disagreeing With Negative Sentences
What happens if the first statement is negative, but you want to emphasize your different stance towards the other person’s statement?
You say: yo sí or a mí sí.
Ana: Yo no vivo aquí.
María: Yo sí.
Ana: I don’t live here.
María: I do.
Andrés: Yo no trabajo en una tienda de ropa.
Pablo: Yo sí.
Andrés: I don’t work in a clothes store.
Pablo: I do.
Andrés: No me gustan los camarones.
Pedro: A mí sí.
Andrés: I don’t like shrimp.
Pedro: I do.
Review: También vs. Tampoco
This table sums up everything we’ve covered about también vs. tampoco.
También vs. Tampoco Summary Chart
Decipher the Riddle
Remember the riddle with también and tampoco from the beginning?
En naranja tres veces, En manzana también, ninguna estoy en nueces ni tampoco en miel.
In naranja three times, in manzana too, I am neither in nueces, nor in miel.
Keeping the Spanish words intact is essential to guessing the answer correctly!
And the answer is?
Letter A!
Did you get it before I revealed the answer?
También vs. Tampoco: Multiple Choice Quiz
Test how much you’ve learned!
Answer with también or tampoco—or neither? Fill out the quiz to find out!
1. Me encanta la fiesta. (Agree)
2. No me gustan las manzanas. (Agree)
3. Mi tía trabaja mucho. (Agree)
4. Me gustan los animales. (Disagree)
5. No me gustan las personas groseras. (Disagree)
6. Vivo en Guatemala. (Disagree)
7. No duermo lo suficiente. (Disagree)
8. Me quedo aquí. (Agree)
9. Me gustan los aviones. (Agree)
10. No me fascinan las montañas. (Disagree)
Practice Spanish With a Native Speaker!
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If you want to master también vs. tampoco, empower yourself to practice with our certified Spanish teachers who provide student-tailored experiences based on your language level. Our 1-on-1 classes are a perfect environment for polishing your skills!
Sign up for a free class with one of our professional, native Spanish-speaking teachers from Guatemala and take your conversational skills to a higher level.
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