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Ni…ni in French: say neither at the table and in town

Edited by Chris Lee · Updated · About the library

Use ni…ni to refuse two ingredients, describe a flat and name days you cannot work. Practise which articles and prepositions stay.

In short

Ne…ni…ni means “neither…nor”: Je ne prends ni sucre ni lait. Give each ruled-out option its own ni. For ingredients, leave out the partitive articles; definite articles and required prepositions stay in examples such as ni le lundi ni le mardi and ni à Lyon ni à Lille.

Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn

1

At breakfast

Name the two ingredients you leave out.

The other personVous prenez du sucre ou du lait ?Do you take sugar or milk?
YouJe ne prends ni sucre ni lait, merci.Neither sugar nor milk, thank you.
The other personEt vous mangez de la viande ou du poisson ?And do you eat meat or fish?
YouJe ne mange ni viande ni poisson.I eat neither meat nor fish.
2

Viewing a flat

Pair features, then pair adjectives.

The other personIl y a un balcon ou une terrasse ?Is there a balcony or a terrace?
YouNon, il n’y a ni balcon ni terrasse.No, there is neither a balcony nor a terrace.
The other personLa cuisine est sombre ? Elle est petite ?Is the kitchen dark? Is it small?
YouElle n’est ni sombre ni petite.It is neither dark nor small.
3

Arranging a meeting

Keep the definite articles for recurring weekdays.

The other personTu travailles le lundi ou le mardi ?Do you work on Mondays or Tuesdays?
YouJe ne travaille ni le lundi ni le mardi.I work neither on Mondays nor on Tuesdays.
The other personOn se retrouve à Lyon ou à Lille ?Shall we meet in Lyon or Lille?
YouJe ne vais ni à Lyon ni à Lille cette semaine.I’m going to neither Lyon nor Lille this week.

Ingredients in the breakfast exchange

What stays after ni?
Kind of phraseFrenchWhat to keep
unspecified ingredientsni sucre ni laitNo partitive articles here.
general things dislikedni le bruit ni la fouleKeep the definite articles.
identified thingsni mon sac ni ta valiseKeep the possessives.
destinationsni à Lyon ni à LilleRepeat the preposition.

Both alternatives are ruled out. Je ne prends ni le train ni le bus says that I take neither form of transport. To name what I actually do, add Je marche. With être identifying a thing, an indefinite article can stay: Ce document n’est ni une facture ni un reçu.

Question 1No account needed
Combine two absent ingredients.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Je ne prends ni sucre ni lait.. For this basic ingredient pair, use ni sucre ni lait with one ni before each.

Question 2No account needed
Keep the general definite articles.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Je n’aime ni le bruit ni la foule.. The paired definite noun phrases keep le and la after ni.

Question 3No account needed
Complete both destinations.Je ne vais ___ cette semaine.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

ni à Lyon ni à Lille. Each destination keeps the preposition à, and each alternative has ni.

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