ni

Lemma Details

Translation: neither; nor; not even

Part of Speech: conjunction

Etymology: Derived from Latin 'nec' meaning 'and not' or 'nor', which was a contraction of 'neque'. This negative conjunction has maintained its core function from Latin to modern Spanish, serving as a key element in negative constructions. The English cognate would be the negative conjunction 'nor', though 'ni' is used more extensively in Spanish than 'nor' is in English.

Commonality: 90%

Guessability: 30%

Register: neutral

Mnemonics

  • Think of 'ni' as the 'n' in 'neither' and 'nor'
  • Remember that 'ni' negates things in pairs: 'ni esto ni aquello' (neither this nor that)

Related Words, Phrases & Idioms

ni siquiera

Unknown

No translation

ni modo

Unknown

No translation

ni hablar

Unknown

No translation

ni idea

Unknown

No translation

Synonyms

tampoco

Unknown

No translation

Antonyms

y

Unknown

No translation

o

Unknown

No translation

Cultural Context

In Spanish, 'ni' is essential for forming negative correlations and is used much more frequently than its English counterpart 'nor'. It's a fundamental part of everyday speech and writing, appearing in many common expressions and idioms.

Easily Confused With

no

Unknown

No translation

Commonality: 0%

Explanation: While both are negative words, 'ni' is used for connecting negative elements or emphasizing a negative ('neither/nor/not even'), whereas 'no' is the basic negation word ('not').

Notes: 'Ni' often appears in pairs (ni...ni) similar to 'neither...nor' in English, while 'no' typically appears once in a sentence.

Mnemonic: 'Ni' connects negatives, while 'no' stands alone as the basic negation.

y

Unknown

No translation

Commonality: 0%

Explanation: 'Ni' and 'y' are both conjunctions, but 'ni' is negative ('nor') while 'y' is positive ('and').

Notes: When a sentence changes from positive to negative, 'y' often changes to 'ni'.

Mnemonic: Think of 'ni' as the negative version of 'y'.