ni - French Definition & Examples

ni

/ni/

conjunction

neither... nor (used to link two or more coordinated negative elements)

Je n'ai ni le temps ni l'envie de faire ça.

I have neither the time nor the desire to do that.

Notes

Ni means "neither" or "nor." It is a coordinating conjunction, used to connect negative elements.

Ni always appears in a negative context, often with "ne" before the verb. It links two or more items that are excluded.

Example: *Je n'aime ni le café ni le thé.* (I like neither coffee nor tea.)

It can also mean "not even": *Il n'a ni bu ni mangé.* (He neither drank nor ate.)

Remember to remove "pas" when using "ne...ni...ni". The presence of ni already conveys the full negation.

Incorrect: *Je n'aime pas ni le café ni le thé.*

Correct: *Je n'aime ni le café ni le thé.*