Combining ne...ni...ni with articles
Use ne...ni...ni to negate two or more options. While definite articles (le, la, les) stay, indefinite (un, une) and partitive (du, de la) articles are usually deleted.
How It Works
The construction ne...ni...ni is the formal way to say 'neither...nor' in French. It follows specific rules regarding articles and word order:
1. The Article Rule (Crucial)
- Drop indefinite articles (un, une, des) and partitive articles (du, de la). Example: Je n'ai ni frère ni sœur.
- Keep definite articles (le, la, les) and possessive adjectives. Example: Je n'aime ni le café ni le thé.
2. Prepositions
Unlike articles, prepositions (like à, de, or en) are never dropped. You must repeat the preposition before each item: Il ne s'intéresse ni à la chimie ni à la physique.
3. Placement
The ne (or n') goes before the conjugated verb, and a ni goes before each item being negated. You never use 'pas' with this pattern.
4. Negating Verbs
If you are negating two actions (verbs), the pattern changes slightly to ne...ni ne.... For example: Il ne boit ni ne mange.
5. Subject Position
When the 'neither...nor' elements are the subjects, the pattern is Ni...ni...ne. The verb is usually plural (Ni lui ni moi ne le savons), unless the subjects are mutually exclusive, in which case the verb is singular (Ni l'un ni l'autre n'est mon père).
Examples (6)
- Je n'ai ni montre ni téléphone.
I have neither a watch nor a phone.
Word by Word: I (neg) have neither watch nor phone.
The indefinite articles 'une' and 'un' are dropped entirely in this construction.
- Elle ne boit ni thé ni café.
She drinks neither tea nor coffee.
Word by Word: She (neg) drinks neither tea nor coffee.
The partitive articles 'du' are dropped. This is more formal than saying 'Elle ne boit pas de thé'.
- Je n'aime ni le jazz ni le rock.
I like neither jazz nor rock.
Word by Word: I (neg) like neither the jazz nor the rock.
Definite articles (le, la, les) are preserved when using ne...ni...ni.
- Il ne s'intéresse ni à la chimie ni à la physique.
He is interested in neither chemistry nor physics.
Word by Word: He (neg) himself interests neither to the chemistry nor to the physics.
Prepositions like 'à' must be repeated before each item and are never dropped.
- Ni Marie ni Jean ne sont venus.
Neither Marie nor Jean came.
Word by Word: Neither Marie nor Jean (neg) are come.
When used as a subject, the verb is usually plural and the 'ne' follows the subjects.
- Ni l'un ni l'autre n'est mon père.
Neither one nor the other is my father.
Word by Word: Neither the one nor the other (neg) is my father.
The verb remains singular if the subjects are mutually exclusive (only one person can be the father).
Common Mistakes
Using 'pas' with 'ni'.
Je ne mange pas ni viande ni poisson.Je ne mange ni viande ni poisson.Ni is a negative particle that replaces 'pas'. Using both is redundant and grammatically incorrect.
Keeping indefinite or partitive articles.
Je n'ai ni un chien ni un chat.Je n'ai ni chien ni chat.In the 'ne...ni...ni' construction, 'un', 'une', 'des', and 'du/de la' are normally omitted.
Dropping the 'ne' before the verb.
J'ai ni pain ni lait.Je n'ai ni pain ni lait.Even though 'ni' is negative, the 'ne' (or n') is still required before the verb in written and formal French.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To learn this pattern, you first need to be comfortable with the basic 'ne...ni...ni' structure. You also need to understand indefinite and partitive articles, as this rule specifically dictates that these articles are removed when listing items in a 'neither...nor' context.
- ne...ni...niNeither...nor with Ne...ni...ni
The learner must first understand the basic structure and meaning of the 'neither...nor' negation before learning how it interacts with articles.
Level 2 - du (article partitif)Partitive Article Du
Understanding partitive articles is necessary because, like indefinite articles, they are dropped when using the ne...ni...ni construction.
Level 1
Related Patterns
- ne...pasBasic Negation with Ne...pas
The basic negation pattern which 'ne...ni...ni' replaces when offering multiple negative choices.
Level 1 - pas deArticles Become De After Negation
Standard negation uses 'de', but 'ne...ni...ni' goes further by dropping the article/preposition entirely for indefinite nouns.
Level 1 - le (article défini)Definite Article Le (Masculine)
Definite articles are an exception to the omission rule; they must be kept when using 'ni'.
Level 1 - Dropping ne in casual speech
While 'ne...ni...ni' is formal, understanding when 'ne' is dropped in other contexts helps clarify the register of this pattern.
Level 4
Words in This Pattern
Practice Combining ne...ni...ni with articles in Bubblegum
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