{"id":59994,"date":"2026-05-14T18:11:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T09:11:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/?p=59994"},"modified":"2026-05-14T18:27:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T09:27:19","slug":"italian-ne-ne","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-ne-ne\/","title":{"rendered":"Italian N\u00e9 N\u00e9: How to Say &#8216;Neither Nor&#8217; (A2)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>\ud83d\udd0d <strong>In short.<\/strong> English uses &#8220;neither&#8230;nor&#8221; to coordinate two negative items. <strong>Italian n\u00e9 n\u00e9<\/strong> does the same job: <em>n\u00e9 mangia n\u00e9 beve<\/em> means &#8220;he neither eats nor drinks&#8221;. The word <em>n\u00e9<\/em> carries an acute accent (\u00e9, not \u00e8) and must never be confused with the pronoun <em>ne<\/em>, which has no accent at all. When <em>n\u00e9&#8230;n\u00e9<\/em> sits in the middle of a sentence, the verb usually takes a preceding <em>non<\/em>: <em>non beve n\u00e9 caff\u00e8 n\u00e9 t\u00e8<\/em>. When <em>n\u00e9&#8230;n\u00e9<\/em> opens the sentence, <em>non<\/em> drops out: <em>n\u00e9 beve n\u00e9 mangia da ieri<\/em>. This A2 guide covers the accent rule, the agreement of verb and subject, the role after <em>senza<\/em>, and the famous idiom <em>n\u00e9 carne n\u00e9 pesce<\/em>, with a veterinarian-visit dialogue in Lecce.<\/p>\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" \/>\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-toc-nn\"><div class=\"gb-inside-container\">\n<p><\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-toc-nn-t gb-headline-text\">Cosa impareremo oggi<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">\ud83d\udc46\ud83c\udffb Jump to section<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" \/>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#one-liner\">The one-line rule for italian n\u00e9 n\u00e9<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#accent\">N\u00e9 vs ne: the accent that changes the meaning<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#non-rule\">When you need &#8216;non&#8217; and when you drop it<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#nouns\">Italian n\u00e9 n\u00e9 with nouns and pronouns<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#adjectives\">Italian n\u00e9 n\u00e9 with adjectives and adverbs<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#verb-agreement\">Singular or plural verb after n\u00e9 n\u00e9?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#senza\">After &#8216;senza&#8217;, n\u00e9 replaces &#8216;or&#8217;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#nemmeno\">Spoken alternatives: nemmeno, neppure, neanche<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#carne-pesce\">N\u00e9 carne n\u00e9 pesce: the idiom<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#mistakes\">Common mistakes<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#cheat-sheet\">Cheat sheet for italian n\u00e9 n\u00e9<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#dialogue\">Dialogue at a vet clinic in Lecce<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#faq\">Frequently asked questions<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#related\">Related guides<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#quiz\">Quiz<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"one-liner\">The one-line rule for italian n\u00e9 n\u00e9<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The pattern italian n\u00e9 n\u00e9 coordinates two negative items: nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, even whole clauses. The word <em>n\u00e9<\/em> always carries an acute accent (\u00e9) and never appears alone in modern Italian: it always comes in a pair, <em>n\u00e9&#8230;n\u00e9<\/em>. Position rules the punctuation: when the pair sits in the middle of a sentence, the main verb takes a preceding <em>non<\/em>; when the pair opens the sentence, <em>non<\/em> drops out. Two short sentences with <em>non<\/em> + <em>e non<\/em> work too, but <em>n\u00e9&#8230;n\u00e9<\/em> is tighter and more idiomatic.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Romeo non mangia n\u00e9 beve da due giorni. <em>Romeo neither eats nor drinks for two days.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>N\u00e9 il cibo umido n\u00e9 quello secco lo interessano pi\u00f9. <em>Neither the wet food nor the dry food interests him any more.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Non l&#8217;ho detto n\u00e9 scritto. <em>I didn&#8217;t say it nor write it.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Mara non gli sembrava n\u00e9 bella n\u00e9 brutta. <em>Mara didn&#8217;t seem to him either beautiful or ugly.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>N\u00e9 Federica n\u00e9 suo marito hanno cambiato qualcosa in casa. <em>Neither Federica nor her husband changed anything at home.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"accent\">N\u00e9 vs ne: the accent that changes the meaning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The first trap with italian n\u00e9 n\u00e9 is the accent. <em>N\u00e9<\/em> with an acute accent on the \u00e9 is the conjunction &#8220;nor&#8221;. <em>Ne<\/em> without any accent is the partitive pronoun (&#8220;of it&#8221;, &#8220;of them&#8221;). The two look almost identical but mean completely different things, and Italian writers do not tolerate the swap.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>N\u00e9 Pietro n\u00e9 Valeria erano in clinica. <em>Neither Pietro nor Valeria were at the clinic.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Di gatti ne ho due. <em>As for cats, I have two of them.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Non mangia n\u00e9 carne n\u00e9 pesce. <em>He eats neither meat nor fish.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Quante crocchette ne ha mangiate? <em>How many kibbles did he eat (of them)?<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>The keyboard shortcut on a Mac is Option + e then e, on Windows Alt + 0233. Native writers know the difference cold: writing <em>ne carne ne pesce<\/em> without the accents reads as gibberish in Italian. The accent goes on the \u00e9 and only on the \u00e9; the grave accent (\u00e8, which is the form of <em>essere<\/em>) would also be wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"non-rule\">When you need &#8216;non&#8217; and when you drop it<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Italian usually requires a double negation: <em>non<\/em> before the verb plus a negative element after it. With italian n\u00e9 n\u00e9 the rule has a twist that depends on position.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Romeo <strong>non<\/strong> mangia n\u00e9 beve. <em>Romeo neither eats nor drinks.<\/em> (non + n\u00e9&#8230;n\u00e9, verb in the middle)<\/li>\n<li><strong>N\u00e9<\/strong> mangia <strong>n\u00e9<\/strong> beve da ieri. <em>He neither eats nor drinks since yesterday.<\/em> (verb after the pair, non drops out)<\/li>\n<li>Federica <strong>non<\/strong> ha portato n\u00e9 il libretto n\u00e9 i farmaci. <em>Federica brought neither the vaccination book nor the medicines.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><strong>N\u00e9<\/strong> Federica <strong>n\u00e9<\/strong> suo marito hanno notato qualcosa. <em>Neither Federica nor her husband noticed anything.<\/em> (subjects before verb, no non)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>The rule of thumb: if the verb comes before the <em>n\u00e9&#8230;n\u00e9<\/em> pair, you keep <em>non<\/em> in front of it. If the <em>n\u00e9&#8230;n\u00e9<\/em> pair opens the sentence (typically conjoining two subjects or two clauses), you drop <em>non<\/em>. Italian uses this position rule consistently, and getting it right is the first step to sounding natural with the construction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"nouns\">Italian n\u00e9 n\u00e9 with nouns and pronouns<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The most common use of italian n\u00e9 n\u00e9 is to coordinate two nouns or two pronouns. The pattern: <em>non<\/em> + verb + <em>n\u00e9<\/em> + noun\/pronoun + <em>n\u00e9<\/em> + noun\/pronoun. Each element after <em>n\u00e9<\/em> can be a single word or a longer noun phrase.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Non bevo n\u00e9 caff\u00e8 n\u00e9 t\u00e8 la sera. <em>I drink neither coffee nor tea in the evening.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Romeo non vuole n\u00e9 le crocchette n\u00e9 l&#8217;umido. <em>Romeo wants neither the kibbles nor the wet food.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Non ho visto n\u00e9 il dottore n\u00e9 l&#8217;infermiera. <em>I saw neither the doctor nor the nurse.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Non parla n\u00e9 con me n\u00e9 con suo padre. <em>He talks neither to me nor to his father.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Il gatto non \u00e8 n\u00e9 di mia sorella n\u00e9 mio: \u00e8 del vicino. <em>The cat is neither my sister&#8217;s nor mine: it&#8217;s the neighbour&#8217;s.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>Italian n\u00e9 n\u00e9 can also coordinate more than two items: <em>non bevo n\u00e9 caff\u00e8 n\u00e9 t\u00e8 n\u00e9 tisane<\/em> (&#8220;I drink neither coffee, nor tea, nor herbal teas&#8221;). The pattern just keeps adding <em>n\u00e9<\/em> before each new item. This is rarer in writing than the two-item version, but perfectly natural in everyday speech.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-task-nn-1\"><div class=\"gb-inside-container\">\n<p>\ud83c\udfaf <strong>Mini-challenge:<\/strong> Translate using italian n\u00e9 n\u00e9. Add or drop <em>non<\/em> as the position requires.<\/p>\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>He neither eats nor drinks.<\/li>\n<li>Neither Pietro nor his sister called me.<\/li>\n<li>I want neither coffee nor tea.<\/li>\n<li>She is neither tall nor short.<\/li>\n<li>The cat is neither inside nor outside.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n<details><summary><strong>\ud83d\udc49 See answers<\/strong><\/summary>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>1. <strong>Non mangia n\u00e9 beve.<\/strong> (verb in middle, non required)<\/p>\n<p>2. <strong>N\u00e9 Pietro n\u00e9 sua sorella mi hanno chiamato.<\/strong> (subjects before verb, no non)<\/p>\n<p>3. <strong>Non voglio n\u00e9 caff\u00e8 n\u00e9 t\u00e8.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>4. <strong>Non \u00e8 n\u00e9 alta n\u00e9 bassa.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>5. <strong>Il gatto non \u00e8 n\u00e9 dentro n\u00e9 fuori.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"adjectives\">Italian n\u00e9 n\u00e9 with adjectives and adverbs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Beyond nouns, italian n\u00e9 n\u00e9 also coordinates adjectives (&#8220;neither tall nor short&#8221;) and adverbs (&#8220;neither well nor badly&#8221;). The pattern is identical: <em>non<\/em> + verb + <em>n\u00e9<\/em> + adjective\/adverb + <em>n\u00e9<\/em> + adjective\/adverb.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Romeo non miagola n\u00e9 forte n\u00e9 piano. <em>Romeo meows neither loudly nor softly.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>La dottoressa non era n\u00e9 simpatica n\u00e9 scortese. <em>The vet was neither nice nor rude.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Il gatto non \u00e8 n\u00e9 magro n\u00e9 grasso. <em>The cat is neither thin nor fat.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Federica non si \u00e8 mossa n\u00e9 lentamente n\u00e9 in fretta. <em>Federica moved neither slowly nor in a hurry.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>La diagnosi non \u00e8 n\u00e9 certa n\u00e9 del tutto sbagliata. <em>The diagnosis is neither certain nor entirely wrong.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>One thing to notice: with adjectives, the agreement rules still hold. <em>Non \u00e8 n\u00e9 bella n\u00e9 brutta<\/em> (feminine subject, feminine adjectives); <em>non \u00e8 n\u00e9 bello n\u00e9 brutto<\/em> (masculine subject, masculine adjectives). <em>N\u00e9<\/em> doesn&#8217;t change the rest of the agreement system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"verb-agreement\">Singular or plural verb after n\u00e9 n\u00e9?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When italian n\u00e9 n\u00e9 coordinates two subjects, the verb usually goes plural, even though each subject alone is singular. The logic: two subjects, plural agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>N\u00e9 Pietro n\u00e9 Valeria sono in clinica. <em>Neither Pietro nor Valeria are at the clinic.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>N\u00e9 il padrone n\u00e9 il garzone hanno mai amato molto il lavoro. <em>Neither the master nor the apprentice ever liked work much.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>N\u00e9 Federica n\u00e9 suo marito hanno cambiato qualcosa. <em>Neither Federica nor her husband changed anything.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>One exception. When the verb comes <em>before<\/em> the two subjects, Italian allows either singular or plural agreement. In answer to a question like <em>Chi l&#8217;ha fatto?<\/em>, Italians often default to the singular: <em>Non l&#8217;ha fatto n\u00e9 Paolo n\u00e9 Mario<\/em> (&#8220;Neither Paolo nor Mario did it&#8221;). The plural form <em>Non l&#8217;hanno fatto n\u00e9 Paolo n\u00e9 Mario<\/em> is equally correct. The choice depends on style and rhythm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"senza\">After &#8216;senza&#8217;, n\u00e9 replaces &#8216;or&#8217;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the most common contexts for italian n\u00e9 n\u00e9 is after the preposition <em>senza<\/em> (&#8220;without&#8221;). When you list two things you are without, Italian uses <em>n\u00e9<\/em> between them, where English would use &#8220;or&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Federica \u00e8 uscita senza giacca n\u00e9 ombrello. <em>Federica went out without a jacket or umbrella.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>La sua era una vita randagia, senza donne n\u00e9 amici. <em>Hers was a wandering life, without women or friends.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Sono andato in clinica senza appuntamento n\u00e9 documenti. <em>I went to the clinic without an appointment or documents.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Mi ha lasciato senza dire n\u00e9 perch\u00e9 n\u00e9 per come. <em>He left me without saying why or how.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>Notice the asymmetry with English. English &#8220;without A or B&#8221; becomes Italian &#8220;senza A n\u00e9 B&#8221;. This is one of the most common A2 mistakes: translating literally as <em>senza A o B<\/em>. The Italian construction is fixed, and natives expect <em>n\u00e9<\/em> after <em>senza<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"nemmeno\">Spoken alternatives: nemmeno, neppure, neanche<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In informal speech, Italians often replace the second <em>n\u00e9<\/em> with <em>nemmeno<\/em>, <em>neppure<\/em>, or <em>neanche<\/em> (&#8220;not even&#8221;). The three words mean the same thing and are fully interchangeable. The construction becomes <em>non<\/em> + verb + first item + <em>e nemmeno\/neppure\/neanche<\/em> + second item.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Romeo non mangia e nemmeno beve. <em>Romeo doesn&#8217;t eat and doesn&#8217;t even drink.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Non ho il libretto e neppure i farmaci. <em>I don&#8217;t have the booklet and not even the medicines.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Mi ha lasciato senza dirmi neanche il perch\u00e9. <em>He left me without even telling me why.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Non \u00e8 venuto Pietro e nemmeno sua sorella. <em>Pietro didn&#8217;t come and not even his sister.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>The three &#8220;not even&#8221; forms are stylistic siblings: <em>nemmeno<\/em> (most neutral), <em>neppure<\/em> (slightly more formal), <em>neanche<\/em> (most colloquial). All three work in any of the constructions above. Some Italians use one and never the others; many alternate freely. None replaces <em>n\u00e9&#8230;n\u00e9<\/em> when the two items are tightly coordinated, but in looser speech you&#8217;ll hear the &#8220;and not even&#8221; pattern very often.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"carne-pesce\">N\u00e9 carne n\u00e9 pesce: the idiom<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Italian has a famous fixed expression built on italian n\u00e9 n\u00e9: <em>n\u00e9 carne n\u00e9 pesce<\/em>, literally &#8220;neither meat nor fish&#8221;. It describes a person, situation, or thing that is indecisive, ambiguous, or fails to commit to one side. English has the parallel &#8220;neither fish nor fowl&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>La sua risposta \u00e8 stata n\u00e9 carne n\u00e9 pesce. <em>His answer was neither here nor there (literally, neither meat nor fish).<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Il film non \u00e8 n\u00e9 carne n\u00e9 pesce: n\u00e9 commedia n\u00e9 dramma. <em>The film is neither one thing nor the other: neither comedy nor drama.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Tommaso non si decide mai: \u00e8 una persona n\u00e9 carne n\u00e9 pesce. <em>Tommaso never makes up his mind: he&#8217;s a wishy-washy person.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>The idiom is fixed: you don&#8217;t change the words. Italians do not say <em>n\u00e9 pollo n\u00e9 manzo<\/em> or any other combination. <em>N\u00e9 carne n\u00e9 pesce<\/em> 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).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"mistakes\">Common mistakes<\/h2>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Writing <em>ne<\/em> without the accent when you mean <em>n\u00e9<\/em>: <em>ne carne ne pesce<\/em> instead of <em>n\u00e9 carne n\u00e9 pesce<\/em>. The accent is mandatory; without it the word is the partitive pronoun.<\/li>\n<li>Writing <em>n\u00e8<\/em> with the grave accent: <em>n\u00e8 caff\u00e8 n\u00e8 t\u00e8<\/em>. The correct accent on <em>n\u00e9<\/em> is acute (\u00e9), not grave (\u00e8). The grave accent belongs to <em>\u00e8<\/em> (&#8220;is&#8221;), not to <em>n\u00e9<\/em> (&#8220;nor&#8221;).<\/li>\n<li>Dropping <em>non<\/em> when the verb comes before the pair: <em>Romeo mangia n\u00e9 beve<\/em>. The correct form is <em>Romeo non mangia n\u00e9 beve<\/em>. Italian needs the double negation when the verb is in front.<\/li>\n<li>Keeping <em>non<\/em> when the pair opens the sentence: <em>Non n\u00e9 Pietro n\u00e9 Valeria sono venuti<\/em>. The correct form drops <em>non<\/em>: <em>N\u00e9 Pietro n\u00e9 Valeria sono venuti<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li>Using <em>o<\/em> after <em>senza<\/em>: <em>senza giacca o ombrello<\/em>. The correct preposition is <em>n\u00e9<\/em>: <em>senza giacca n\u00e9 ombrello<\/em>. English &#8220;or&#8221; becomes Italian &#8220;n\u00e9&#8221; in this construction.<\/li>\n<li>Inserting <em>e<\/em> before the second <em>n\u00e9<\/em>: <em>non bevo n\u00e9 caff\u00e8 e n\u00e9 t\u00e8<\/em>. The form <em>n\u00e9&#8230;e n\u00e9<\/em> exists in older literature but is considered redundant in modern Italian. The clean form is <em>non bevo n\u00e9 caff\u00e8 n\u00e9 t\u00e8<\/em>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"cheat-sheet\">Cheat sheet for italian n\u00e9 n\u00e9<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Quick reference for the italian n\u00e9 n\u00e9 construction.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th>Pattern<\/th><th>Position<\/th><th>Example<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody>\n<tr><td>non + verb + n\u00e9 + X + n\u00e9 + Y<\/td><td>pair in the middle, non before verb<\/td><td>Non mangia n\u00e9 carne n\u00e9 pesce<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>n\u00e9 + X + n\u00e9 + Y + verb<\/td><td>pair opens, no non<\/td><td>N\u00e9 Pietro n\u00e9 Valeria sono venuti<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>non + verb + n\u00e9 + X + n\u00e9 + Y (adjectives)<\/td><td>n\u00e9 coordinates adjectives<\/td><td>Non \u00e8 n\u00e9 bello n\u00e9 brutto<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>senza + X + n\u00e9 + Y<\/td><td>after senza, n\u00e9 replaces or<\/td><td>Senza giacca n\u00e9 ombrello<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>non + verb + X + e nemmeno\/neppure\/neanche + Y<\/td><td>spoken alternative to n\u00e9 n\u00e9<\/td><td>Non mangia e nemmeno beve<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>n\u00e9 carne n\u00e9 pesce<\/td><td>idiom, fixed<\/td><td>La risposta \u00e8 n\u00e9 carne n\u00e9 pesce<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>verb (plural) after n\u00e9 + X + n\u00e9 + Y<\/td><td>two subjects, plural agreement<\/td><td>N\u00e9 Pietro n\u00e9 Valeria sono in clinica<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>verb (singular OR plural) before n\u00e9 + X + n\u00e9 + Y<\/td><td>verb first, either agreement<\/td><td>Non l&#8217;ha\/l&#8217;hanno fatto n\u00e9 Paolo n\u00e9 Mario<\/td><\/tr>\n<\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"dialogue\">Dialogue at a vet clinic in Lecce<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The following dialogue shows italian n\u00e9 n\u00e9 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.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-dialog-nn\"><div class=\"gb-inside-container\">\n<p>\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffc\u200d\ud83e\uddb0 <strong>Federica:<\/strong> Dottoressa, Romeo non mangia n\u00e9 beve da due giorni. Sono preoccupata.<br><em>Doctor, Romeo neither eats nor drinks for two days. I&#8217;m worried.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffd\u200d\ud83e\uddb1 <strong>Valeria:<\/strong> Capisco. N\u00e9 il cibo umido n\u00e9 quello secco lo interessano pi\u00f9?<br><em>I understand. Neither the wet food nor the dry food interests him any more?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffc\u200d\ud83e\uddb0 <strong>Federica:<\/strong> Nessuno dei due. N\u00e9 le crocchette n\u00e9 l&#8217;umido. Annusa e se ne va.<br><em>Neither one. Neither the kibbles nor the wet food. He sniffs and walks away.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffd\u200d\ud83e\uddb1 <strong>Valeria:<\/strong> Avete cambiato qualcosa in casa? N\u00e9 mobili n\u00e9 detersivi nuovi?<br><em>Have you changed anything at home? Neither new furniture nor new detergents?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffc\u200d\ud83e\uddb0 <strong>Federica:<\/strong> N\u00e9 Federica n\u00e9 suo marito hanno cambiato niente. Solo io e mio marito, scusi: n\u00e9 io n\u00e9 mio marito.<br><em>Neither Federica nor her husband changed anything. Sorry, just me and my husband: neither I nor my husband.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffd\u200d\ud83e\uddb1 <strong>Valeria:<\/strong> Tranquilla. Sintomi visibili? Non ha vomito n\u00e9 diarrea?<br><em>Don&#8217;t worry. Visible symptoms? Has he no vomiting or diarrhoea?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffc\u200d\ud83e\uddb0 <strong>Federica:<\/strong> Non ho visto n\u00e9 vomito n\u00e9 diarrea. Per\u00f2 si nasconde sotto il letto: non \u00e8 n\u00e9 dentro n\u00e9 fuori.<br><em>I haven&#8217;t seen vomiting or diarrhoea. But he hides under the bed: he&#8217;s neither inside nor outside.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffd\u200d\ud83e\uddb1 <strong>Valeria:<\/strong> Lo guardiamo. Vediamo se \u00e8 n\u00e9 magro n\u00e9 grasso, e controlliamo la temperatura.<br><em>Let&#8217;s have a look. We&#8217;ll see if he&#8217;s neither thin nor fat, and check his temperature.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffc\u200d\ud83e\uddb0 <strong>Federica:<\/strong> Grazie. Sa, \u00e8 uscito senza guinzaglio n\u00e9 trasportino, ma \u00e8 stato bravo in macchina.<br><em>Thank you. You know, he came out without leash or carrier, but he was good in the car.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffd\u200d\ud83e\uddb1 <strong>Valeria:<\/strong> Allora la situazione non \u00e8 n\u00e9 grave n\u00e9 da prendere alla leggera. Facciamo gli esami del sangue.<br><em>So the situation is neither serious nor to be taken lightly. Let&#8217;s run blood tests.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What to notice in the dialogue<\/h3>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>non mangia n\u00e9 beve, non ho visto n\u00e9 vomito n\u00e9 diarrea<\/strong>: non + verb + n\u00e9 + n\u00e9, verb in middle.<\/li>\n<li><strong>n\u00e9 il cibo umido n\u00e9 quello secco lo interessano<\/strong>: n\u00e9 + n\u00e9 + verb plurale, two subjects open the sentence.<\/li>\n<li><strong>n\u00e9 io n\u00e9 mio marito<\/strong>: n\u00e9 with pronouns, subject coordination.<\/li>\n<li><strong>non \u00e8 n\u00e9 dentro n\u00e9 fuori, n\u00e9 magro n\u00e9 grasso, n\u00e9 grave n\u00e9 da prendere alla leggera<\/strong>: n\u00e9 + adjectives\/adverbs.<\/li>\n<li><strong>senza guinzaglio n\u00e9 trasportino<\/strong>: n\u00e9 after senza, replacing or.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"quiz\">Test your understanding<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Take the quiz below to test what you&#8217;ve learned about italian n\u00e9 n\u00e9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center;padding:30px;background:#f4f5f6;border-radius:10px;color:#888\"><em>(Quiz coming soon)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"faq\">Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>These questions about italian n\u00e9 n\u00e9 come from real A2 learners working through Italian negation. For the dictionary view, the Treccani entry on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.treccani.it\/vocabolario\/ne2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">n\u00e9<\/a> covers the full range in standard Italian.<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"rank-math-faq\" class=\"rank-math-block\">\n<div class=\"rank-math-list \">\n<div id=\"faq-nn-q1\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Why n\u00e9 with accent and ne without?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Because they are completely different words. N\u00e9 with an acute accent on the \u00e9 is the conjunction meaning nor (used in n\u00e9&#8230;n\u00e9 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 (\u00e9), not grave (\u00e8); grave belongs to \u00e8 meaning is.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-nn-q2\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Do I need non before n\u00e9 n\u00e9?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>It depends on position. When the n\u00e9&#8230;n\u00e9 pair sits in the middle of a sentence with the verb coming first, you need non before the verb: Romeo non mangia n\u00e9 beve. When the n\u00e9&#8230;n\u00e9 pair opens the sentence (typically coordinating two subjects or two clauses), you drop non: n\u00e9 Pietro n\u00e9 Valeria sono venuti. The rule is mechanical: verb first means non; pair first means no non.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-nn-q3\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Plural or singular verb after n\u00e9 n\u00e9?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>When the pair coordinates two subjects and comes before the verb, the verb usually goes plural: n\u00e9 Pietro n\u00e9 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&#8217;ha fatto n\u00e9 Paolo n\u00e9 Mario or non l&#8217;hanno fatto n\u00e9 Paolo n\u00e9 Mario. Both forms are correct; the singular form is more common in colloquial speech.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-nn-q4\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">N\u00e9 or e non: when do I use each?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Both work, but they sound different. E non simply chains two negative clauses: Gianni non beve e non fuma (Gianni doesn&#8217;t drink and doesn&#8217;t smoke). N\u00e9&#8230;n\u00e9 tightens the coordination and emphasises that neither item happens: Gianni non beve n\u00e9 fuma. The n\u00e9 construction is more idiomatic in Italian when you want to highlight the pair. In speech, Italians use both depending on rhythm and emphasis.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-nn-q5\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">What does &#8216;n\u00e9 carne n\u00e9 pesce&#8217; mean?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>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&#8217;t say n\u00e9 pollo n\u00e9 manzo or any other combination.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-nn-q6\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Can I say &#8216;non + nemmeno&#8217; instead of &#8216;n\u00e9&#8217;?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>In informal speech, yes. Italians often replace the second n\u00e9 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 n\u00e9 would appear.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-nn-q7\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">After senza, do I use n\u00e9 or e?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>After senza, Italian uses n\u00e9 where English uses or. The construction is senza + A + n\u00e9 + B: senza giacca n\u00e9 ombrello (without a jacket or umbrella), senza donne n\u00e9 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 n\u00e9 after senza.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"related\">Related guides<\/h2>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-pleonastic-non\/\">Italian Pleonastic Non: Finch\u00e9, A Meno Che, Non Appena Explained<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-ma-pero-eppure\/\">Italian Ma, Per\u00f2, Eppure: Adversative Conjunctions (A2)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-tuttavia-nondimeno\/\">Italian Tuttavia, Nondimeno, Ciononostante: Adversatives (C1)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/connettivi-italian-connectors\/\">I Connettivi: Italian Connectors. Guide and Quiz<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\ud83d\udd0d In short. English uses &#8220;neither&#8230;nor&#8221; to coordinate two negative items. Italian n\u00e9 n\u00e9 does the same job: n\u00e9 mangia n\u00e9 beve means &#8220;he neither eats nor drinks&#8221;. The word n\u00e9 carries an acute accent (\u00e9, not \u00e8) and must never be confused with the pronoun ne, which has no accent at all. When n\u00e9&#8230;n\u00e9 &#8230; <a title=\"Italian N\u00e9 N\u00e9: How to Say &#8216;Neither Nor&#8217; (A2)\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-ne-ne\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Italian N\u00e9 N\u00e9: How to Say &#8216;Neither Nor&#8217; (A2)\">Read more \u226b<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10020,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1864,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-59994","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-a2","category-lingua","no-featured-image-padding","pmpro-has-access"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59994","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10020"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59994"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59994\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":59996,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59994\/revisions\/59996"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59994"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59994"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59994"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}