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negar

to deny, to refuse

verb neh-GAHR Less Common

Origin: From Latin negare, 'to say no'.

Also means

to shake one's head

Usage Note

Negar means both 'to deny a fact' (negó la acusación) and 'to refuse to do something' in its reflexive form negarse a (se negó a firmar, he refused to sign). The e changes to ie in stressed syllables: niego, niegas, niega, niegan. Do not confuse with ignorar (to be unaware of).

Examples

"Ella negó haber dicho eso."

Natural Translation

She denied having said that.

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