@riittavartti
It’s not that we don’t need the word “never”, we just don’t have a single word for it. What we use instead is a combination of words like, “hindi pa (not yet)” or “ni minsan (not even once)”.
Hindi pa ako nak
ákapunt
á sa Pilipinas. = I have not yet been to the Philippines.
Hindi pa ako n
áhuhul
í sa klase. = I have not yet been late for class.
Hindi pa ako nagmamay-
arì ng pusa. = I have not yet been an owner of a cat/owned a cat.
Ni minsan hindi ako nakapunt
á sa Pilipinas. = Not even once have I been to the Philippines.
Ni minsan hindi ako n
áhuli sa klase. = Not even once have I been late for class.
Ni minsan hindi ako nagmay-
arì ng pusa. = Not even once have I been an owner of a cat/owned a cat.owned a cat.
(Note the change in the verb form when “hindi pa” and “ni minsan” are used.)
Although the redundancy is obvious, there are times when we use both word combinations in a sentence for emphasis.
(1) Ni minsan hindi pa ako (2) nakakapunta (3) sa Pilipinas (4). = I have not yet been (not even once) to the Philippines.
The numbers indicate the alternative locations where the “ni minsan” may be inserted.