Using nunca

Question

I notice that you consider as correct all answers that are theoretically correct from a grammatical perspective, even if they are not idiomatic and it is highly unlikely that a Spanish speaker would use the expression. Example: “No deberías nunca salir con ella.” Or am I missing something?

Silvia Piriz · Accepted Answer

Hola Gary O.
You’re absolutely right that there’s a difference between something being grammatically possible and something being idiomatic or natural.In Spanish, a sentence like:
No deberías nunca salir con ella.
is grammatically correct, because nunca can appear after the verb.
However, in real usage, most native speakers would strongly prefer:
Nunca deberías salir con ella.
or
No deberías salir nunca con ella.
The position of nunca at the beginning of the sentence (or at the end) sounds much more natural and emphatic.On Kwiziq, we sometimes accept answers that are grammatically valid even if they’re less idiomatic, especially at lower levels, because the goal is to test the grammar rule itself (here, the use of nunca in negative sentences), not stylistic preference. That said, we always encourage learners to notice which options sound more natural in real Spanish.Thanks for raising such a thoughtful point, it’s exactly the kind of distinction that matters at advanced levels.
Un abrazo
Silvia