Nada vs Ninguno

Question

Would it be incorrect to say, "No me gustan los tatuajes y por eso no tengo nada" instead of ninguno?

Silvia Piriz · Accepted Answer

Hola Adelle Melyssa M.
 
In this case, it would be incorrect to say “no tengo nada” because “nada” means “nothing” in a general sense, not referring to a specific item. Since you're talking about tattoos — which are countable — the correct choice is “ninguno”, which means “not any”.
So the sentence “No me gustan los tatuajes y por eso no tengo ninguno” is correct, because you're saying you don’t have any tattoos specifically. Using “nada” here would sound too broad, as if you’re saying you don’t have anything at all.
In short, use “ninguno” when you're referring to a specific thing you don’t have — like tattoos, books, or friends.
Hasta pronto
Silvia