Ni (en. Neither)

/ni/

Meaning & Definition

EnglishFrench

conjunction

Used to connect two elements or two propositions negatively.

I want neither bread nor cheese.

Je ne veux ni pain ni fromage.

Used to express a double negation or the absence of both mentioned elements.

Neither he nor I agree.

Ni lui ni moi ne sommes d'accord.

Also indicates a choice between two equally unwanted options.

He wants neither to go to the cinema nor to stay at home.

Il ne veut ni aller au cinéma ni rester chez lui.

From the Latin 'nec', which means 'neither'.

neither one nor the other

To indicate that two elements do not apply.

ni l'un ni l'autre

neither hot nor cold

To express indifference or a lack of enthusiasm.

ni chaud ni froid

neither seen nor known

To designate something done discreetly.

ni vu ni connu

Adverb expressing negation.

non

to screw up

Familiar verb meaning 'to mess up' or 'to destroy'.

niquer

denied

Past participle of deny.

nié

Used to express reluctance or refusal in slang.

I'm neither really a fan nor interested.

Je suis ni vraiment fan, ni intéressé.