ni ... ni ...

Neither nor

Level 5

The pattern ni ... ni ... is used to link two or more items that are being excluded or negated. It is the Cebuano equivalent of 'neither... nor...' and is primarily found in formal, literary, or religious contexts.

How It Works

In Cebuano, ni ... ni ... functions as a correlative conjunction. While it is a loanword from Spanish, it is deeply embedded in formal registers of the language.

Key characteristics include:

  • Requirement of a Negator: You cannot use ni ... ni ... on its own to negate a sentence. It must be used with dili (for states, future actions, or qualities) or wala (for existence or past actions). However, the ni ... ni ... phrase can appear before the negator, especially when fronting subjects or topics (e.g., Ni siya ni ikaw walay... [Neither he nor you have...]).
  • Placement: It is placed immediately before the nouns, pronouns, verbs, or adjectives being negated.
  • Single 'ni' Usage: Aside from the paired structure, a single ni is frequently used as a conjunction meaning 'nor' or 'not even' to connect a second negative thought to an already negative statement (e.g., Sukad karon dili na ko makigsulti ni magpakita nimo [From now on I will not talk to you nor show myself to you]).
  • Register: This pattern is considered high-register. In casual conversation, speakers usually prefer bisan or simply using ug with repeated negatives.
  • Linkers: When used with walay, the linker -y is attached to the negator, but ni itself does not take a linker.

Examples (4)

  1. Wala siyay ni balay ni yuta.

    He has neither a house nor land.

    Word by Word: None he-linker neither house nor land.

    Here, 'wala' establishes the negation of possession, and 'ni' links the two assets being denied.

  2. Dili siya makamaong ni mobasa ni mosulat.

    He knows neither how to read nor how to write.

    Word by Word: Not he know-how neither to-read nor to-write.

    This example shows 'ni' negating two verbs (actions) using the negator 'dili'.

  3. Wala koy ni kwarta ni trabaho.

    I have neither money nor a job.

    Word by Word: None I-linker neither money nor job.

    A common formal construction using 'wala' to indicate the total absence of multiple items.

  4. Ni siya ni ikaw walay katungod.

    Neither he nor you have the right.

    Word by Word: Neither he nor you none-linker right.

    This example demonstrates fronting, where the 'ni ... ni ...' phrase with pronouns appears before the negator 'walay'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'ni ... ni ...' without a primary negator.

    Ni tubig ni pagkaon.
    Walay ni tubig ni pagkaon.

    In Cebuano, 'ni' is not a standalone negator. You must include 'wala' or 'dili' in the sentence to make it negative.

  • Using short 'ni' for 'this' right beside the conjunction 'ni'.

    Different MeaningDili ni dako ni gamay.
    Dili kini ni dako ni gamay.

    'Dili ni dako ni gamay' is a good sentence: the first 'ni' is a short form of 'kini' (this), and the other two 'ni' mean 'nor'. Writing 'kini' makes the three words easier to tell apart.

How It Connects

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

ni ... ni ...Level 5Neither nor

Learn This First

To understand 'ni ... ni ...', you first need to be comfortable with the two main negation words in Cebuano: 'wala' (for absence or past actions) and 'dili' (for future actions or qualities). This pattern functions as the negative counterpart to 'ug' (and) or 'o' (or), specifically used to list multiple items that are all being negated.

Words in This Pattern

ne