🔍 In short. English uses “neither…nor” to coordinate two negative items. Italian né né does the same job: né mangia né beve means “he neither eats nor drinks”. The word né carries an acute accent (é, not è) and must never be confused with the pronoun ne, which has no accent at all. When né…né sits in the middle of a sentence, the verb usually takes a preceding non: non beve né caffè né tè. When né…né opens the sentence, non drops out: né beve né mangia da ieri. This A2 guide covers the accent rule, the agreement of verb and subject, the role after senza, and the famous idiom né carne né pesce, with a veterinarian-visit dialogue in Lecce.
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👆🏻 Jump to section
- The one-line rule for italian né né
- Né vs ne: the accent that changes the meaning
- When you need ‘non’ and when you drop it
- Italian né né with nouns and pronouns
- Italian né né with adjectives and adverbs
- Singular or plural verb after né né?
- After ‘senza’, né replaces ‘or’
- Spoken alternatives: nemmeno, neppure, neanche
- Né carne né pesce: the idiom
- Common mistakes
- Cheat sheet for italian né né
- Dialogue at a vet clinic in Lecce
- Frequently asked questions
- Related guides
The one-line rule for italian né né
The pattern italian né né coordinates two negative items: nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, even whole clauses. The word né always carries an acute accent (é) and never appears alone in modern Italian: it always comes in a pair, né…né. Position rules the punctuation: when the pair sits in the middle of a sentence, the main verb takes a preceding non; when the pair opens the sentence, non drops out. Two short sentences with non + e non work too, but né…né is tighter and more idiomatic.
- Romeo non mangia né beve da due giorni. Romeo neither eats nor drinks for two days.
- Né il cibo umido né quello secco lo interessano più. Neither the wet food nor the dry food interests him any more.
- Non l’ho detto né scritto. I didn’t say it nor write it.
- Mara non gli sembrava né bella né brutta. Mara didn’t seem to him either beautiful or ugly.
- Né Federica né suo marito hanno cambiato qualcosa in casa. Neither Federica nor her husband changed anything at home.
Né vs ne: the accent that changes the meaning
The first trap with italian né né is the accent. Né with an acute accent on the é is the conjunction “nor”. Ne without any accent is the partitive pronoun (“of it”, “of them”). The two look almost identical but mean completely different things, and Italian writers do not tolerate the swap.
- Né Pietro né Valeria erano in clinica. Neither Pietro nor Valeria were at the clinic.
- Di gatti ne ho due. As for cats, I have two of them.
- Non mangia né carne né pesce. He eats neither meat nor fish.
- Quante crocchette ne ha mangiate? How many kibbles did he eat (of them)?
The keyboard shortcut on a Mac is Option + e then e, on Windows Alt + 0233. Native writers know the difference cold: writing ne carne ne pesce without the accents reads as gibberish in Italian. The accent goes on the é and only on the é; the grave accent (è, which is the form of essere) would also be wrong.
When you need ‘non’ and when you drop it
Italian usually requires a double negation: non before the verb plus a negative element after it. With italian né né the rule has a twist that depends on position.
- Romeo non mangia né beve. Romeo neither eats nor drinks. (non + né…né, verb in the middle)
- Né mangia né beve da ieri. He neither eats nor drinks since yesterday. (verb after the pair, non drops out)
- Federica non ha portato né il libretto né i farmaci. Federica brought neither the vaccination book nor the medicines.
- Né Federica né suo marito hanno notato qualcosa. Neither Federica nor her husband noticed anything. (subjects before verb, no non)
The rule of thumb: if the verb comes before the né…né pair, you keep non in front of it. If the né…né pair opens the sentence (typically conjoining two subjects or two clauses), you drop non. Italian uses this position rule consistently, and getting it right is the first step to sounding natural with the construction.
Italian né né with nouns and pronouns
The most common use of italian né né is to coordinate two nouns or two pronouns. The pattern: non + verb + né + noun/pronoun + né + noun/pronoun. Each element after né can be a single word or a longer noun phrase.
- Non bevo né caffè né tè la sera. I drink neither coffee nor tea in the evening.
- Romeo non vuole né le crocchette né l’umido. Romeo wants neither the kibbles nor the wet food.
- Non ho visto né il dottore né l’infermiera. I saw neither the doctor nor the nurse.
- Non parla né con me né con suo padre. He talks neither to me nor to his father.
- Il gatto non è né di mia sorella né mio: è del vicino. The cat is neither my sister’s nor mine: it’s the neighbour’s.
Italian né né can also coordinate more than two items: non bevo né caffè né tè né tisane (“I drink neither coffee, nor tea, nor herbal teas”). The pattern just keeps adding né before each new item. This is rarer in writing than the two-item version, but perfectly natural in everyday speech.
🎯 Mini-challenge: Translate using italian né né. Add or drop non as the position requires.
- He neither eats nor drinks.
- Neither Pietro nor his sister called me.
- I want neither coffee nor tea.
- She is neither tall nor short.
- The cat is neither inside nor outside.
👉 See answers
1. Non mangia né beve. (verb in middle, non required)
2. Né Pietro né sua sorella mi hanno chiamato. (subjects before verb, no non)
3. Non voglio né caffè né tè.
4. Non è né alta né bassa.
5. Il gatto non è né dentro né fuori.
Italian né né with adjectives and adverbs
Beyond nouns, italian né né also coordinates adjectives (“neither tall nor short”) and adverbs (“neither well nor badly”). The pattern is identical: non + verb + né + adjective/adverb + né + adjective/adverb.
- Romeo non miagola né forte né piano. Romeo meows neither loudly nor softly.
- La dottoressa non era né simpatica né scortese. The vet was neither nice nor rude.
- Il gatto non è né magro né grasso. The cat is neither thin nor fat.
- Federica non si è mossa né lentamente né in fretta. Federica moved neither slowly nor in a hurry.
- La diagnosi non è né certa né del tutto sbagliata. The diagnosis is neither certain nor entirely wrong.
One thing to notice: with adjectives, the agreement rules still hold. Non è né bella né brutta (feminine subject, feminine adjectives); non è né bello né brutto (masculine subject, masculine adjectives). Né doesn’t change the rest of the agreement system.
Singular or plural verb after né né?
When italian né né coordinates two subjects, the verb usually goes plural, even though each subject alone is singular. The logic: two subjects, plural agreement.
- Né Pietro né Valeria sono in clinica. Neither Pietro nor Valeria are at the clinic.
- Né il padrone né il garzone hanno mai amato molto il lavoro. Neither the master nor the apprentice ever liked work much.
- Né Federica né suo marito hanno cambiato qualcosa. Neither Federica nor her husband changed anything.
One exception. When the verb comes before the two subjects, Italian allows either singular or plural agreement. In answer to a question like Chi l’ha fatto?, Italians often default to the singular: Non l’ha fatto né Paolo né Mario (“Neither Paolo nor Mario did it”). The plural form Non l’hanno fatto né Paolo né Mario is equally correct. The choice depends on style and rhythm.
After ‘senza’, né replaces ‘or’
One of the most common contexts for italian né né is after the preposition senza (“without”). When you list two things you are without, Italian uses né between them, where English would use “or”.
- Federica è uscita senza giacca né ombrello. Federica went out without a jacket or umbrella.
- La sua era una vita randagia, senza donne né amici. Hers was a wandering life, without women or friends.
- Sono andato in clinica senza appuntamento né documenti. I went to the clinic without an appointment or documents.
- Mi ha lasciato senza dire né perché né per come. He left me without saying why or how.
Notice the asymmetry with English. English “without A or B” becomes Italian “senza A né B”. This is one of the most common A2 mistakes: translating literally as senza A o B. The Italian construction is fixed, and natives expect né after senza.
Spoken alternatives: nemmeno, neppure, neanche
In informal speech, Italians often replace the second né with nemmeno, neppure, or neanche (“not even”). The three words mean the same thing and are fully interchangeable. The construction becomes non + verb + first item + e nemmeno/neppure/neanche + second item.
- Romeo non mangia e nemmeno beve. Romeo doesn’t eat and doesn’t even drink.
- Non ho il libretto e neppure i farmaci. I don’t have the booklet and not even the medicines.
- Mi ha lasciato senza dirmi neanche il perché. He left me without even telling me why.
- Non è venuto Pietro e nemmeno sua sorella. Pietro didn’t come and not even his sister.
The three “not even” forms are stylistic siblings: nemmeno (most neutral), neppure (slightly more formal), neanche (most colloquial). All three work in any of the constructions above. Some Italians use one and never the others; many alternate freely. None replaces né…né when the two items are tightly coordinated, but in looser speech you’ll hear the “and not even” pattern very often.
Né carne né pesce: the idiom
Italian has a famous fixed expression built on italian né né: né carne né pesce, literally “neither meat nor fish”. It describes a person, situation, or thing that is indecisive, ambiguous, or fails to commit to one side. English has the parallel “neither fish nor fowl”.
- La sua risposta è stata né carne né pesce. His answer was neither here nor there (literally, neither meat nor fish).
- Il film non è né carne né pesce: né commedia né dramma. The film is neither one thing nor the other: neither comedy nor drama.
- Tommaso non si decide mai: è una persona né carne né pesce. Tommaso never makes up his mind: he’s a wishy-washy person.
The idiom is fixed: you don’t change the words. Italians do not say né pollo né manzo or any other combination. Né carne né pesce is the expression, and it has been in Italian for centuries (the origin is mediaeval, when Friday fasting rules made meat and fish the two main protein options on the table).
Common mistakes
- Writing ne without the accent when you mean né: ne carne ne pesce instead of né carne né pesce. The accent is mandatory; without it the word is the partitive pronoun.
- Writing nè with the grave accent: nè caffè nè tè. The correct accent on né is acute (é), not grave (è). The grave accent belongs to è (“is”), not to né (“nor”).
- Dropping non when the verb comes before the pair: Romeo mangia né beve. The correct form is Romeo non mangia né beve. Italian needs the double negation when the verb is in front.
- Keeping non when the pair opens the sentence: Non né Pietro né Valeria sono venuti. The correct form drops non: Né Pietro né Valeria sono venuti.
- Using o after senza: senza giacca o ombrello. The correct preposition is né: senza giacca né ombrello. English “or” becomes Italian “né” in this construction.
- Inserting e before the second né: non bevo né caffè e né tè. The form né…e né exists in older literature but is considered redundant in modern Italian. The clean form is non bevo né caffè né tè.
Cheat sheet for italian né né
Quick reference for the italian né né construction.
| Pattern | Position | Example |
|---|---|---|
| non + verb + né + X + né + Y | pair in the middle, non before verb | Non mangia né carne né pesce |
| né + X + né + Y + verb | pair opens, no non | Né Pietro né Valeria sono venuti |
| non + verb + né + X + né + Y (adjectives) | né coordinates adjectives | Non è né bello né brutto |
| senza + X + né + Y | after senza, né replaces or | Senza giacca né ombrello |
| non + verb + X + e nemmeno/neppure/neanche + Y | spoken alternative to né né | Non mangia e nemmeno beve |
| né carne né pesce | idiom, fixed | La risposta è né carne né pesce |
| verb (plural) after né + X + né + Y | two subjects, plural agreement | Né Pietro né Valeria sono in clinica |
| verb (singular OR plural) before né + X + né + Y | verb first, either agreement | Non l’ha/l’hanno fatto né Paolo né Mario |
Dialogue at a vet clinic in Lecce
The following dialogue shows italian né né in everyday A2 speech. Federica has brought her cat Romeo to the vet clinic in Lecce. The cat has stopped eating, and Federica is worried. Dr Valeria runs through the basic questions.
👩🏼🦰 Federica: Dottoressa, Romeo non mangia né beve da due giorni. Sono preoccupata.
Doctor, Romeo neither eats nor drinks for two days. I’m worried.
👩🏽🦱 Valeria: Capisco. Né il cibo umido né quello secco lo interessano più?
I understand. Neither the wet food nor the dry food interests him any more?
👩🏼🦰 Federica: Nessuno dei due. Né le crocchette né l’umido. Annusa e se ne va.
Neither one. Neither the kibbles nor the wet food. He sniffs and walks away.
👩🏽🦱 Valeria: Avete cambiato qualcosa in casa? Né mobili né detersivi nuovi?
Have you changed anything at home? Neither new furniture nor new detergents?
👩🏼🦰 Federica: Né Federica né suo marito hanno cambiato niente. Solo io e mio marito, scusi: né io né mio marito.
Neither Federica nor her husband changed anything. Sorry, just me and my husband: neither I nor my husband.
👩🏽🦱 Valeria: Tranquilla. Sintomi visibili? Non ha vomito né diarrea?
Don’t worry. Visible symptoms? Has he no vomiting or diarrhoea?
👩🏼🦰 Federica: Non ho visto né vomito né diarrea. Però si nasconde sotto il letto: non è né dentro né fuori.
I haven’t seen vomiting or diarrhoea. But he hides under the bed: he’s neither inside nor outside.
👩🏽🦱 Valeria: Lo guardiamo. Vediamo se è né magro né grasso, e controlliamo la temperatura.
Let’s have a look. We’ll see if he’s neither thin nor fat, and check his temperature.
👩🏼🦰 Federica: Grazie. Sa, è uscito senza guinzaglio né trasportino, ma è stato bravo in macchina.
Thank you. You know, he came out without leash or carrier, but he was good in the car.
👩🏽🦱 Valeria: Allora la situazione non è né grave né da prendere alla leggera. Facciamo gli esami del sangue.
So the situation is neither serious nor to be taken lightly. Let’s run blood tests.
What to notice in the dialogue
- non mangia né beve, non ho visto né vomito né diarrea: non + verb + né + né, verb in middle.
- né il cibo umido né quello secco lo interessano: né + né + verb plurale, two subjects open the sentence.
- né io né mio marito: né with pronouns, subject coordination.
- non è né dentro né fuori, né magro né grasso, né grave né da prendere alla leggera: né + adjectives/adverbs.
- senza guinzaglio né trasportino: né after senza, replacing or.
Test your understanding
Take the quiz below to test what you’ve learned about italian né né.
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Frequently asked questions
These questions about italian né né come from real A2 learners working through Italian negation. For the dictionary view, the Treccani entry on né covers the full range in standard Italian.
Why né with accent and ne without?
Because they are completely different words. Né with an acute accent on the é is the conjunction meaning nor (used in né…né constructions). Ne without any accent is the partitive pronoun meaning of it or of them (di gatti ne ho due = I have two of them). Italians never confuse the two in writing, and getting the accent wrong is one of the most common A2 mistakes. The accent is acute (é), not grave (è); grave belongs to è meaning is.
Do I need non before né né?
It depends on position. When the né…né pair sits in the middle of a sentence with the verb coming first, you need non before the verb: Romeo non mangia né beve. When the né…né pair opens the sentence (typically coordinating two subjects or two clauses), you drop non: né Pietro né Valeria sono venuti. The rule is mechanical: verb first means non; pair first means no non.
Plural or singular verb after né né?
When the pair coordinates two subjects and comes before the verb, the verb usually goes plural: né Pietro né Valeria sono in clinica. When the verb comes before the two subjects (especially in answer to a question), Italian allows either singular or plural: non l’ha fatto né Paolo né Mario or non l’hanno fatto né Paolo né Mario. Both forms are correct; the singular form is more common in colloquial speech.
Né or e non: when do I use each?
Both work, but they sound different. E non simply chains two negative clauses: Gianni non beve e non fuma (Gianni doesn’t drink and doesn’t smoke). Né…né tightens the coordination and emphasises that neither item happens: Gianni non beve né fuma. The né construction is more idiomatic in Italian when you want to highlight the pair. In speech, Italians use both depending on rhythm and emphasis.
What does ‘né carne né pesce’ mean?
Literally neither meat nor fish, the idiom describes a person, situation, or thing that is indecisive, ambiguous, or fails to commit to one side. English parallels are neither fish nor fowl or neither here nor there. The expression has been in Italian for centuries (the origin is mediaeval, when Friday fasting rules made meat and fish the two main proteins). The words are fixed: you don’t say né pollo né manzo or any other combination.
Can I say ‘non + nemmeno’ instead of ‘né’?
In informal speech, yes. Italians often replace the second né with nemmeno, neppure, or neanche (not even). The construction becomes non + verb + first item + e nemmeno + second item: Romeo non mangia e nemmeno beve. The three not-even forms are interchangeable; nemmeno is the most neutral, neppure slightly more formal, neanche the most colloquial. All three work in any of the constructions where the second né would appear.
After senza, do I use né or e?
After senza, Italian uses né where English uses or. The construction is senza + A + né + B: senza giacca né ombrello (without a jacket or umbrella), senza donne né amici (without women or friends). Translating literally as senza A o B is one of the most common A2 mistakes. The Italian construction is fixed, and natives expect né after senza.
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