"neither … nor" in seven languages
Meaningneither … nor
Spanish
/ni ni/
inherited
Before the verb no is needed too: no bebo ni té ni café; at the start it isn't: ni él ni ella.
French
/ni ni/
inherited
Still needs ne before the verb, never pas: je ne bois ni thé ni café.
Italian
/ne ne/
inherited
With an accent, unlike the pronoun ne. Non comes before the verb.
Portuguese
/nẽj nẽj/
inherited
Romanian
/nitʃʲ nitʃʲ/
inherited
From NEQUE, the longer twin of NEC; nu still comes before the verb.
Catalan
/ni ni/
inherited
English
/ˈniðɚ nɔɹ/
native English · Old English nāhwæþer 'not either', nā 'not ever'
The Latin ancestor
NEC‘and not, nor’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
Latin NEC 'and not' gave the same little word nearly everywhere: ni, ni, né. Unlike English, the sisters repeat the negation before the verb as well.
Learn it
In a sentence
- esNo bebo ni té ni café.
- frJe ne bois ni thé ni café.
- itNon bevo né tè né caffè.
- ptNão bebo nem chá nem café.
- roNu beau nici ceai, nici cafea.
- caNo bec ni te ni cafè.
- enI drink neither tea nor coffee.