También and Tampoco in Spanish: Yo también, yo tampoco, yo sí, yo no

To say that the same is true for you, match the first sentence: Tengo hambre. — Yo también means “Me too”; No tengo hambre. — Yo tampoco means “Me neither”. When your situation is different, use yo no after a positive statement or yo sí after a negative one. These four replies let you compare your situation with someone else's.

Agreeing: también and tampoco

The rule. También means too / also and goes with a positive sentence. Tampoco means not … either / neither and goes with a negative one. The sign of the first sentence decides — not what you think about it.

These short answers can name a person without repeating the verb: yo también, Marta tampoco, nosotros también. The name or pronoun makes clear who shares the situation. It is useful here, although speakers can omit it when the person is clear from context.

Disagreeing: yo sí, yo no

Flip the sign. When your situation is the opposite, you don't need también or tampoco at all. After a positive sentence, say yo no; after a negative one, say yo sí. Together with the two agreeing answers, that gives you a small grid:

Sí means “yes” and has a written accent; si means “if”. In the contrasts here, yo sí means “I do, unlike you”. To say “the same is true for me”, use yo también. A simple sí can of course confirm something or answer a yes/no question.

Who agrees: the pronoun does the work

Any person, same pattern. Replace yo with the person who agrees or disagrees — a pronoun or a name — and keep también / tampoco / sí / no.

For plural “you”, vosotros is used mainly in Spain. Ustedes is used informally as well as formally in Latin America, the Canary Islands and parts of Andalusia. In most of Spain it is the formal plural. Follow local usage; see guide to subject pronouns.

Inside a full sentence: where también and tampoco go

También. It usually comes right before the verb, or at the end of the sentence. Both are natural.

Tampoco. Before the verb, tampoco supplies the negative meaning without no. In the examples below, putting it after the verb requires no before the verb.

The one thing tampoco never does is sit next to no in front of the verb: no tampoco quiero is not Spanish. If you know the rule for nunca and nadie, you already know this one — see our guide to negation.

With gustar: a mí también, a mí tampoco

With gustar, use a mí. Me gusta el café means “I like coffee”, literally “coffee pleases me”. To say that you like it too, answer a mí también; for a negative, a mí tampoco. Contrast uses a mí sí or a mí no.

Other people, same echo. A ti, a él, a ella, a nosotros, a Ana — whoever the sentence is about.

A simple test: if the first sentence says yo tengo, yo vivo, yo voy, answer with yo; if it says me gusta, me encanta, me interesa, answer with a mí. How these verbs work is in our guide to gustar and similar verbs.

Common mistakes

También after a negative sentence. English me too slips in after I don't…; in Spanish the negative sentence calls for tampoco.

“También no.” A direct translation of also not. Spanish has one word for that: tampoco.

No + tampoco in front of the verb. Before the verb, tampoco works alone; no only appears when tampoco comes after the verb.

The form after a. With gustar, learn a mí también: after the preposition a, the form is mí, not yo.

The expanded reply is A mí también me gusta el chocolate. In a short answer, leave out the repeated verb phrase: A mí también.

Si without the accent. Yo sí needs the accent: sí is yes, si is if.

Quick exercise

Complete each answer with también, tampoco, sí or no. The sign at the end tells you whether the second person agrees (=) or disagrees (≠).

1. —Tengo frío. —Yo ___. (=)
2. —No tengo hermanos. —Yo ___. (=)
3. —Me gusta mucho el cine. —A mí ___. (=)
4. —No me gustan las películas de terror. —A mí ___, me encantan. (≠)
5. —Hablo un poco de francés. —Yo ___, solo inglés. (≠)
6. Marta no come carne, y su marido ___. (=)
7. —Un café, por favor. —Para mí ___, gracias. (=)
8. —No entiendo este ejercicio. —Yo ___ lo entiendo. ¿Te ayudo? (≠)