Learn English – “I see nothing ” vs “I don’t see nothing”

grammarmultiple-negationpolarity-items

As far as I understand, both of these sentences imply that the speaker is unable to see anything.

Is one sentence more correct than the other or can they be used interchangeably everywhere?

Also, why doesn't a negative word "don't" have any effect on the resulting meaning of the second sentence in the title?

For eg.

I see her

and

I don't see her

are pretty different.

Best Answer

In standard English (unlike much dialect and slang usage), "I don't see nothing" is incorrect - unless your intended meaning is "I see something". In standard English, a "double negative" results in one negation cancelling out the other negation, resulting in an affirmative meaning.

In standard English, the correct expressions are:

  • I don't see anything.
  • I see nothing.
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