ni
conjunction
1 (y no) (con verbo negativo en inglés) or; (con verbo afirmativo en inglés) nor
no le gustan las plantas ni los animales he doesn't like plants or animals; no bebe ni fuma he doesn't smoke or drink; un edificio sin puertas ni ventanas a building without doors or windows; —a mí no me gusta —ni a mí "I don't like it" — "nor do I" o "neither do I"; ni... ni ...: no tenía ni amigos ni familiares he had no friends and no family (either); he had no friends or family; he had neither friends nor family; no es ni blanco ni negro it's not black and it's not white (either); it's neither black nor white; no vinieron ni Juan ni Pedro Juan didn't come and neither did Pedro; neither Juan nor Pedro came; ni vino ni llamó por teléfono he didn't come and he didn't phone (either); he neither came nor phoned
ni lo sé ni me importa I don't know and I don't care; ni que lo hagas bien ni que lo hagas mal te dirán nada whether you do it well or badly, they won't say anything
2 (para dar más énfasis) even
no sabe ni dónde está Moscú he doesn't even know where Moscow is; ni a ti te lo dirá he won't tell even YOU; no lo compraría ni aunque tuviera dinero I wouldn't buy it even if I had the money; no tengo ni idea I have no idea; no ha llamado ni nada he hasn't phoned or anything; ni se sabe God knows; who knows?
ni siquiera not even
ni siquiera nos ha visto he didn't even see us; ni siquiera me llamó he didn't even phone me
ni uno
—¿cuántos tienes? —ni uno "how many have you got?" — "not a single one" o "none"; no hemos comprado ni un regalo we haven't bought a single present; no me ha dicho ni una palabra desde que llegó she hasn't said a single word to me since she got here; ni uno de sus parientes lo ha felicitado not (a single) one of his relatives has congratulated him; no tengo ni un duro I haven't got a penny
3 (exclamaciones)
¡ni hablar! no way!; not on your life!
¿yo? ¿votar a esos? ¡ni hablar! me vote for them? no way! o not on your life!
¡ni por esas!
he intentado convencerla prometiéndole un regalo, pero ni por esas I tried to persuade her with a present but even that didn't work
ni que
siempre cuidando de él, ¡ni que fueras su madre! you're always taking care of him, anyone would think you were his mother!; vaya unos humos que tiene, ¡ni que fuese un dios! he's so arrogant, he must think he's God!; ¡pero tú qué te has creído!, ¡ni que yo fuese tonto! you must think I'm stupid or something!; ¡qué curso ni qué curso! ¡yo he aprendido por mi cuenta! what are you talking about, taking a course? I've studied by myself!
