sem... sem...

Neither … nor

Level 4

The Hungarian sem... sem... construction is the equivalent of 'neither... nor...'. It is used to exclude multiple options simultaneously. In casual speech, it is often shortened to se... se....

How It Works

The sem... sem... pattern is used to coordinate negative constituents. To become proficient in this structure, follow these rules:

  • Negative Counterpart: Think of sem as the negative version of is (also/too). While is adds positive items, sem adds negative ones.
  • Position and Repetition: Place sem immediately before each item (sem A, sem B), or alternatively, immediately after each item (A sem, B sem). You can coordinate more than two items by repeating it.
  • Negative Concord: You must negate the main verb. If using sem A, sem B before the verb, use nem before the verb (Sem Péter, sem Pál nem jött el - Neither Péter nor Pál came). However, if you use the A sem, B sem pattern and it immediately precedes the verb, the nem is dropped (Péter sem, Pál sem jött el - Neither Péter nor Pál came). If the items follow the verb, the verb is negated (Nem eszem sem húst, sem halat - I eat neither meat nor fish).
  • Coordinating Verbs: To coordinate verbs (e.g., 'neither writes nor reads'), you can use the compound pattern se nem... se nem... before the verbs (Se nem ír, se nem olvas - He neither writes nor reads), or simply use sem... sem... directly before the verbs without 'nem' (Sem ír, sem olvas - He neither writes nor reads).
  • Agreement: If you coordinate two singular subjects, standard Hungarian usually takes a singular verb, though plural is also accepted. If the subjects are of different persons, the verb must be plural and agrees with the highest person in the hierarchy (1st > 2nd > 3rd), e.g., Sem én, sem te nem megyünk el (Neither I nor you are leaving).
  • The 'Nincs' and 'Sincs' Verbs: The word sincs is the usual contraction of sem + van, just as nincs comes from nem + van. When negating existence with the sem A, sem B pattern, sem does not immediately precede the verb, so nincs is used (Sem a kávé, sem a tea nincs itt - Neither the coffee nor the tea is here). However, in the A sem, B sem pattern, sem immediately precedes the verb, triggering the contraction to sincs (A kávé sincs, a tea sincs itt - Neither the coffee nor the tea is here).
  • Negative Pronouns: The particle sem is also used alongside negative pronouns (like senki, semmi, soha) to form negative concord (e.g., Senki sem jött el - Nobody came).
  • Verbal Prefix Separation: Because the verb is negated, any verbal prefix must move to the position after the verb.
  • Colloquial Forms: In casual speech, se... se... is often used instead of sem... sem... (e.g., Se Péter, se Pál nem jött el - Neither Péter nor Pál came). This variant is particularly common when coordinating nouns or adjectives, as seen in idioms like Se pénze, se posztója (He has neither money nor cloth / He is completely broke). Both forms can be used in commands alongside the negative imperative particle ne.

Examples (6)

  1. Sem a teát, sem a kávét nem szeretem.

    I like neither tea nor coffee.

    Word by Word: Neither the tea-acc, neither the coffee-acc not I-like-it.

    Note that both nouns take the accusative case and the verb is negated with 'nem'.

  2. Sem te, sem ő nem voltatok ott.

    Neither you nor he were there.

    Word by Word: Neither you, neither he not were-you(pl) there.

    While singular agreement is common for singular subjects, plural agreement is permissible for collective emphasis and required for mixed-person agreement.

  3. Se ide, se oda ne menj!

    Go neither here nor there!

    Word by Word: Neither here, neither there not go!

    This uses the negative imperative form 'se... se... ne...', though 'sem... sem... ne...' is also perfectly grammatical for commands.

  4. Nem eszem sem húst, sem halat.

    I eat neither meat nor fish.

    Word by Word: Not I-eat neither meat-acc, neither fish-acc.

    When the coordinated items are in the postverbal field, the verb must still be negated with 'nem' at the beginning of the clause.

  5. Péter sem, Pál sem jött el.

    Neither Péter nor Pál came.

    Word by Word: Péter neither, Pál neither came away.

    The particle sem can also be placed immediately after the items it coordinates. In this specific word order directly preceding the verb, the 'nem' is dropped.

  6. A fiú se nem ír, se nem olvas.

    The boy neither writes nor reads.

    Word by Word: The boy neither not writes, neither not reads.

    When coordinating verbs, the compound pattern 'se nem... se nem...' is commonly used, though 'sem... sem...' directly before the verbs is also perfectly valid (e.g., 'A fiú sem ír, sem olvas').

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'sincs' instead of 'nincs' with the 'sem A, sem B' word order.

    Sem a kávé, sem a tea sincs itt.
    Sem a kávé, sem a tea nincs itt.

    The word 'sincs' is the contraction of 'sem' + nincs. In the 'sem A, sem B' pattern, 'sem' does not immediately precede the verb, so 'nincs' is used. The contraction 'sincs' is required when 'sem' immediately precedes the verb, as in the 'A sem, B sem' pattern: 'A kávé sincs, a tea sincs itt'.

  • Forgetting the negative particle 'nem' before the verb.

    Sem Péter, sem Pál eljött.
    Sem Péter, sem Pál nem jött el.

    Hungarian requires negative concord. The verb must be negated even if 'sem' is present, unless using the 'A sem, B sem' pattern directly before the verb.

  • Keeping the verbal prefix attached to the verb.

    Sem a könyvet, sem a tollat nem elhoztam.
    Sem a könyvet, sem a tollat nem hoztam el.

    When a verb is negated by 'nem', the verbal prefix must separate and move behind the verb.

How It Connects

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

sem... sem...Level 4Neither … nor

Learn This First

To become confident with 'sem... sem...', you first need to understand how 'sem' functions as a negative version of 'is' (also/too). You must also be familiar with Hungarian's negative concord system, where multiple negative elements in a sentence do not cancel each other out but rather reinforce the negation of the verb.

Words in This Pattern

sem