nunca

== Asturian == === Alternative forms === ñunca === Etymology === From Latin numquam (“never”). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈnunka/ [ˈnuŋ.ka] Rhymes: -unka Syllabification: nun‧ca === Adverb === nunca never Synonym: enxamás == Galician == === Etymology === Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese nunca, from Latin numquam (“never”). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈnuŋka/ [ˈnũŋ.kɐ] Rhymes: -uŋka Hyphenation: nun‧ca === Adverb === nunca never Synonym: xamais ==== Derived terms ==== === References === Seoane, Ernesto Xosé González; Granja, María Álvarez de la; Agrelo, Ana Isabel Boullón (2006–2022), “nunca”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval [Dictionary of dictionaries of Medieval Galician] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega Barreiro, Xavier Varela; Guinovart, Xavier Gómez (2006–2018), “nunca”, in Corpus Xelmírez: corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval [Corpus Xelmírez: linguistic corpus of Medieval Galicia] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “nunca”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “nunca”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “nunca”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN === Further reading === “nunca”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2026 “nunca”, in Dicionário Estraviz de galego (in Galician), 2014–2026 == Macanese == === Etymology === From Portuguese nunca (“never”). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈnuŋkɐ/, /ˈnuŋka/ === Adverb === nunca negation particle usually (but not always) used in the past tense; did not, had not, would not Antonym: já Êle nunca vêm ― He did not come Êle já vai maz nunca volta ― He left but did not return Iou nunca capaz ― I wouldn't dare sâm nunca? ― isn't it? nunca nâ ― not yet ==== Usage notes ==== Unlike the Portuguese word, nunca in Macanese usually does not mean "never"; nunca-si is used instead. sâm nunca is a common casual phrase used by Macanese as a question looking for confirmation at the end of an affirmative statement, similar to English innit. They may also use é-né for the same purpose, with both phrases being a calque of Cantonese 係咪 / 系咪 at different stages of the creole. ==== See also ==== nádi nôm === Particle === nunca imperative article expressing negative future tense; don't Synonym: nê-bôm Nunca assí pensam ― Don't worry ==== Derived terms ==== nunca-bôm (“don't (imperative)”) nunca-si === Interjection === nunca no Antonyms: sim, (dated) sâm ==== Usage notes ==== nôm is not used in Macanese as a negative response to a question. For questions pertaining to the past and present, nunca is used; for questions pertaining to the future, nádi is used. === References === https://www.macaneselibrary.org/pub/english/uipatua.htm == Portuguese == === Etymology === From Old Galician-Portuguese nunca, from Latin numquam (“never”). === Pronunciation === Hyphenation: nun‧ca === Adverb === nunca (not comparable) never (at no time; not ever) Synonyms: see Thesaurus:nunca ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Descendants ==== Kabuverdianu: nunca Macanese: nunca === Noun === nunca m (plural nuncas) (poetic) neverness (the quality of not ever being extant or present) === Further reading === “nunca”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026 “nunca”, in Dicionário infopédia da Lingua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2026 “nunca”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026 == Spanish == === Etymology === Inherited from Old Spanish nunqua, from Latin numquam, from ne + umquam. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈnunka/ [ˈnũŋ.ka] Rhymes: -unka Syllabification: nun‧ca === Adverb === nunca never Synonyms: jamás, en su vida ever ==== Derived terms ==== === Further reading === “nunca”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025