Conjunciones coordinantes negativas
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The Spanish word ni is used on its own, in pairs, and with other words as a negative conjunction.
1) In pairs, ni … ni means "neither … nor."
Por ejemplo…
Ni fumo ni bebo. | I neither smoke nor drink. | |
Ni tú ni yo tenemos dinero. | Neither you nor I have money. | |
No tenemos dinero ni tú ni yo. | ||
Ni Ana ni Pedro puede(n) venir. | Neither Ana nor Pedro can come. | |
No puede(n) venir ni Ana ni Pedro. |
Notes
- When ni … ni follows the verb, the verb must be negated (preceded by no).
But when ni … ni precedes the verb, it’s not negated. - When a group of people is joined by ni … ni and is the subject of the verb, the verb may be singular or plural.
2) No … ni is very slightly less emphatic.
Por ejemplo…
No fumo ni bebo. | I neither smoke nor drink. | |
No quiere café ni té. | He wants neither coffee nor tea. |
3) Ni can also be paired with sin.
Por ejemplo…
Maneja sin permiso de conducir ni seguro. | He drives without a license or insurance. | |
Lo hizo sin hacer preguntas ni quejarse. | He did it without questioning or complaining. |
4) Ni on its own or followed by siquiera in front of a noun means "no" or "not a."
Por ejemplo…
– ¿Adónde fue? – Ni idea. |
– Where did he go? – No idea. |
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– ¿Cuánto dinero tienes? – Ni siquiera un céntimo. |
– How much money do you have? – Not a cent. |
5) Ni (siquiera) can also mean "not even."
Por ejemplo…
Ni siquiera me llamaste. | You didn’t even call me. | |
No sé ni dónde estamos. | I don’t even know where we are. |
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