Spanish Phrase
No llenes demasiado la caja ni la dejes demasiado vacía.
Meaning
The sentence tells someone not to overfill the box and, at the same time, not to leave it almost empty. It balances two opposite extremes, urging a moderate amount of content.
When to use
Use this phrase when you are giving instructions about packing, storing, or arranging items—especially in a workshop, kitchen, or moving scenario—where the amount inside a container matters.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Nollenesdemasiadolacajaniladejesdemasiadovacía
No (negation)
The particle *no* precedes a verb to make a negative command. In affirmative commands it is omitted.
Llenes (subjunctive for negative imperative)
When giving a negative command in Spanish, the verb takes the present subjunctive form (e.g., *no llenes*).
Demasiado (adverb of excess)
*Demasiado* means “too much/too many”. It can modify verbs, adjectives or other adverbs.
Ni (coordinating conjunction)
*Ni* links two negative ideas, equivalent to English “nor”. It is used after a negative clause.
Dejes (subjunctive for negative imperative)
Like *llenes*, *dejes* is the present subjunctive used for a second negative command.
Vacía (adjective agreement)
*Vacía* agrees in gender and number with *caja* (feminine singular).
🗨In Conversation
No llenes demasiado la caja ni la dejes demasiado vacía.
Don't overfill the box nor leave it too empty.
Entendido, la rellenaré justo a la mitad.
Got it, I'll fill it up to about half.
✕Common Mistakes
No llenas demasiado la caja...
Use the subjunctive *llenes* for a negative command, not the indicative *llenas*.
No llenes muy la caja...
*Muy* means “very” and does not convey excess; *demasiado* is required for “too much”.
No llenes demasiado la caja y la dejes demasiado vacía.
The conjunction *y* means “and”. To link two negative ideas you need *ni* (“nor”).
↔Alternatives
No pongas demasiadas cosas en la caja ni la dejes casi vacía.
Don't put too many things in the box nor leave it almost empty.
Evita llenar la caja en exceso y tampoco la dejes vacía.
Avoid filling the box excessively and also don't leave it empty.
No la llenes demasiado y tampoco la dejes vacía.
Don't fill it too much and also don't leave it empty.
Cultural Tip
In Spanish, negative commands always use the present subjunctive (*no llenes, no dejes*). Native speakers often pair two negatives with *ni* to stress that both extremes are undesirable. In informal speech you might hear *ni mucho ni poco* (“neither too much nor too little”) as a shorter way to convey the same idea.