Learn how to use the Spanish coordinating conjunctions "Ni... ni..." and "Así como" to connect negative elements and express equality or comparison. This lesson covers grammar rules, example sentences, and tips for using these conjunctions correctly in everyday conversations.
- "Ni... ni..." is used to join two negative elements or to say "neither one nor the other".
- "Así como" is used to express a comparison or a relationship of equality.
| Fórmula (Formula) | Ejemplo (Example) |
|---|---|
| Ni + sustantivo + ni + sustantivo (Neither + noun + nor + noun) | No visitamos ni la frutería ni la carnicería. (We do not visit either the fruit shop or the butcher's.) |
| Ni + pronombre + verbo + ni + pronombre + verbo (Ni + pronoun + verb + ni + pronoun + verb) | Ni los atiende ni los escucha el dependiente. (Neither does the clerk serve them nor listen to them.) |
| Verbo + sustantivo + así como + sustantivo (Verb + noun + as well as + noun) | Visitamos el centro comercial así como la tienda de regalos. (We visited the shopping centre as well as the gift shop.) |
Exercise 1: Las conjunciones: "Ni... Ni...", "Así Como"
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
Ni, así como, ni
1.
... me gustan las rosas ... las margaritas.
(I neither like roses nor daisies.)
2.
... el cliente ... el dependiente tenía cambio.
(Neither the customer nor the shop assistant had change.)
3.
... ella ... yo fuimos al estanco.
(Neither she nor I went to the tobacconist's.)
4.
La floristería tiene muchas flores bonitas, ... el ramo de flores que compré.
(The flower shop has many beautiful flowers, as well as the bouquet of flowers that I bought.)
5.
Compramos dulces en la tienda de regalos ... en el estanco.
(We buy sweets in the gift shop as well as in the tobacconist's.)
6.
No compramos ... frutas ... verduras.
(We do not buy fruit or vegetables.)
7.
Visitamos la floristería ... la frutería.
(We visited the florists as well as the greengrocers.)
8.
No regalo ... flores ... bombones.
(I neither give flowers nor chocolates.)
Exercise 2: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Select the correct sentence in each block that properly uses the conjunctions "Neither... nor..." or "Just as" following the indicated grammatical rules.
1.
"And" is used for affirmations, not "neither" in this negative context.
"Neither... nor..." should not be used in affirmative sentences; it is incorrect.
2.
"Neither... nor..." is not appropriate here because the sentence is not negative.
Incorrectly combines conjunctions: "neither" and "just as" are not used together this way.
3.
Uses "and" instead of "neither... nor..."; it does not indicate negation as required by the structure.
Negation is missing; "neither... nor..." requires the whole sentence to be negative.
4.
Incorrectly combines "neither" with "just as" and lacks coherence.
The sentence is affirmative but uses "neither... nor...", which is used for negative sentences.
