nenio, neniu, nenie, neniam

Nothing, Nobody, Nowhere, Never

Level 3

The neni- words say that there is no thing, person, place or time.

How It Works

WordMeaningExample
nenionothingMi vidas nenion.
neniunobodyNeniu venis.
nenienowhereLa ŝlosilo estas nenie.
neniamneverMi neniam fumas.

The endings are the same as for the other table words. Nenio takes -n (nenion) and normally not -j, neniu takes -n (neniun) and is usually used without -j, nenie can take -n for movement (nenien), and neniam never changes.

Words that describe nenio come after it: nenio nova (nothing new).

A neni- word can stand anywhere in the sentence. It makes the whole sentence negative, so a separate ne is left out.

Examples (5)

  1. Neniu venis.

    Nobody came.

    Neniu is the subject and makes the sentence negative.

  2. Mi neniam fumas.

    I never smoke.

    Neniam means at no time.

  3. Mi vidas nenion en la ĉambro.

    I see nothing in the room.

    Nenion has -n because it is the object.

  4. La ŝlosilo estas nenie.

    The key is nowhere.

    Nenie means in no place.

  5. Ewa konas neniun en tiu urbo.

    Ewa knows nobody in that town.

    Neniun is the object of konas.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving -n off nenio as an object.

    Mi vidas nenio en la ĉambro.
    Mi vidas nenion en la ĉambro.

    Nenio takes -n as the object of vidas.

How It Connects

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

nenio, neniu, nenie, neniamLevel 3Nothing, Nobody, Nowhere, Never

Learn This First

The neni- words are the negative partners of the i- words, with the same table endings.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.