ні ... ні

Neither ... nor

Level 4Sounds Like ní ... ní

Ні X, ні Y + не + verb = neither X nor Y: Ні ён, ні яна не ведаюць.

How It Works

Ні … ні joins two or more items and says that none of them is true. Put ні before each item.

Keep не on the verb. English uses only one negative word, but Belarusian uses two, just as with ніхто and нічога:

  • Ні ён, ні яна не ведаюць. (Neither he nor she knows.)
  • Ні брат, ні сястра не прыйшлі. (Neither the brother nor the sister came.)

With няма. Няма already means there is no, so it needs no extra не. The items go in the genitive: У мяне няма ні часу, ні грошай. See not having with няма.

With a negated verb. The objects are often in the genitive too: Я не п'ю ні кавы, ні гарбаты. See the genitive with negated verbs.

With verbs. Ні … ні can also join two infinitives: Ён ні чытаць, ні пісаць не ўмее. (He can neither read nor write.)

Commas. Put a comma before the second ні (and before each one after that), but not before the first: ні ён, ні яна. Set phrases take no comma: ні рыба ні мяса (neither one thing nor the other).

The positive counterpart is або … або (either … or), and як …, так і means both … and.

Examples (5)

  1. Ні ён, ні яна не ведаюць.

    Neither he nor she knows.

    Word by Word: Neither he, nor she not know.

  2. У мяне няма ні часу, ні грошай.

    I have neither time nor money.

    Word by Word: At me there-is-not neither of-time, nor of-money.

    After няма, both nouns are in the genitive.

  3. Я не п'ю ні кавы, ні гарбаты.

    I drink neither coffee nor tea.

    Word by Word: I not drink neither of-coffee, nor of-tea.

  4. Ні брат, ні сястра не прыйшлі на вяселле.

    Neither the brother nor the sister came to the wedding.

    Word by Word: Neither brother, nor sister not came to wedding.

  5. Ён ні чытаць, ні пісаць не ўмее.

    He can neither read nor write.

    Word by Word: He neither to-read, nor to-write not can.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving out не on the verb.

    Ні ён, ні яна ведаюць.
    Ні ён, ні яна не ведаюць.

    Belarusian keeps не on the verb even when ні is already in the sentence.

  • Using the nominative after няма.

    У мяне няма ні час, ні грошы.
    У мяне няма ні часу, ні грошай.

    Няма takes the genitive, so both nouns change: часу, грошай.

  • Leaving out the comma before the second ні.

    Ні ён ні яна не ведаюць.
    Ні ён, ні яна не ведаюць.

    A comma separates items joined by repeated ні. Only set phrases such as ні рыба ні мяса go without it.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

ні ... ніLevel 4Neither ... nor

Learn This First

Neither ... nor follows double negation.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

ніне