The structure Ne... ne (de) is the Turkish equivalent of "Neither... nor...". Its most important rule is that it gives a negative meaning to the sentence while the verb remains in the positive form.
💡 The Golden Rule:
In Turkish, you cannot have a "double negative." Since Ne... ne is already negative, the verb must be conjugated as positive.
Incorrect: Ne elma ne muz yemedim. ❌
Correct: Ne elma ne muz yedim. ✅ (Meaning: I ate neither apples nor bananas).
Common Uses & Examples:
Use Case | Turkish Example | English Translation |
Neither... Nor | Ne param ne zamanım var. | I have neither money nor time. |
Middle Ground | Ne uzun ne kısa. | Neither tall nor short (average). |
Actions | Ne ders çalışıyor ne kitap okuyor. | He neither studies nor reads. |
Emphasized Negation | Ne aradı ne de sordu. | He neither called nor even asked. |
Practical Sentence Examples:
Dışarıda ne ses var ne de ışık: There is neither sound nor light outside.
Bu yemek ne acı ne tatlı: This food is neither spicy nor sweet.
Ne beni dinledin ne de ona inandın: You neither listened to me nor believed him.