Neniom means “no amount,” “none quantitatively,” or “not at all” on a measurable scale. It can quantify a following da phrase, stand alone for an understood amount, or modify a verb or comparison as zero degree. Like every neni- word, it normally negates the clause without an additional ne. All unlabelled uses on this page are neutral in register.
Its Place in the 5×9 System
The 45 table words combine five fixed logical initials with nine fixed semantic endings. In neniom, neni- supplies negative force and -om selects quantity, number, measure, or emphatic degree.
| Initial | Force | Quantity form |
|---|---|---|
| ki- | question or relative | kiom — how much/many |
| ti- | demonstrative | tiom — that much/many |
| i- | indefinite | iom — some, a little |
| ĉi- | universal | ĉiom — the whole quantity |
| neni- | negative | neniom — no quantity |
The ending matters. Nenio denies a thing; neniom sets a quantity or degree to zero. English “none” can represent either, so the learner must choose the semantic dimension.
Kiom da benzino restas? — Neniom; la rezervujo estas tute malplena.
How much fuel is left? — None; the tank is completely empty.
Post la pago de la luprezo restis al mi neniom da mono.
After paying the rent, I had no money left.
The first pairs question kiom with negative neniom. The second treats money as a measured quantity of zero.
Neniom da + Noun
When neniom quantifies an explicitly named substance or set, use da: neniom da akvo, neniom da tempo, neniom da eraroj. The noun names what is measured; neniom supplies the zero quantity.
En la vilaĝo restis neniom da trinkebla akvo.
No drinking water remained in the village.
La dua provo ŝparis neniom da tempo.
The second attempt saved no time at all.
Ni trovis neniom da gravaj diferencoj inter la du versioj.
We found no significant differences between the two versions.
With countable nouns, this packages the referents as a measured number. Neniuj gravaj diferencoj instead denies individual differences within the relevant set. In many contexts the result is equivalent, but the grammatical viewpoint differs.
Standalone Quantity and Invariance
Neniom may stand alone when the measured material is understood. Even when it fills the semantic role of a direct object, it takes no accusative ending. All -om table words are invariant: no -j, no -n.
Mi proponis helpon, sed ili akceptis neniom.
I offered help, but they accepted none of it.
La sekvan matenon restis neniom el la kuko.
The next morning, none of the cake remained.
The el phrase identifies the source total, while neniom gives the remaining quantity. Compare nenio restis, which says that no thing remained and does not foreground measurement.
Zero Degree
Neniom also measures a degree as zero. It is especially useful with comparative pli/malpli, with verbs that imply measurable change, and when English says “not at all.”
La nova vojo estas neniom pli mallonga ol la malnova.
The new road is no shorter than the old one.
Via klarigo neniom helpis min.
Your explanation did not help me at all.
La temperaturo neniom ŝanĝiĝis dum la nokto.
The temperature did not change at all during the night.
These examples present help, shortness, or change as a scale whose realized amount is zero. Neniel could emphatically deny the proposition, but neniom is more exact when a degree is conceptually measured.
La dua modelo neniel funkcias kun nia sistemo.
The second model does not work with our system in any way.
La dua modelo estas neniom pli rapida ol la unua.
The second model is no faster than the first.
The first denies compatibility or a workable manner; the second compares speed quantitatively.
Neniom versus Iom and Malmulte
Iom supplies a small but appreciable amount. Malmulte presents an amount as small or insufficient. Neniom means zero.
Mi havas iom da tempo, do ni povas mallonge paroli.
I have a little time, so we can talk briefly.
Mi havas malmulte da tempo, do bonvolu esti konciza.
I have little time, so please be concise.
Mi havas neniom da tempo hodiaŭ; ni parolu morgaŭ.
I have no time at all today; let's talk tomorrow.
The differences concern the speaker’s quantitative commitment, not merely style. Preskaŭ neniom “almost none” is slightly above zero; absolute neniom emphatically fixes the quantity at zero.
Post la sekeco restis preskaŭ neniom da akvo en la puto.
After the drought, almost no water remained in the well.
Negative Concord
Neniom already negates its clause. Do not add ne merely because English uses “not ... any.”
La riparo kostis neniom, ĉar la garantio ankoraŭ validis.
The repair cost nothing because the warranty was still valid.
If another indefinite appears, normally use its i- form: neniom da tempo por fari ion, not a stack of neni- words.
Mi havas neniom da energio por fari ion post tiu longa vojaĝo.
I have no energy to do anything after that long trip.
An intentional ne + neniom produces double negation: La riparo ne kostis neniom denies that the cost was zero and therefore implies some cost. That construction is logically possible (formal) but far too easy to misread. Prefer La riparo ja kostis iom when a positive amount is intended.
Neniom versus Nenio
The contrast becomes clearest with consumption:
Mi manĝis nenion antaŭ la ekzameno.
I ate nothing before the exam.
Mi manĝis neniom de la supo, ĉar ĝi odoris strange.
I ate none of the soup because it smelled strange.
Nenion is the object “nothing.” Neniom de la supo is zero of a defined quantity. Because la supo identifies a definite source, use de rather than quantitative da; neniom el la supo can be clearer when actual portions are meant. The core beginner-safe pattern remains neniom da + nondetermined noun.
Norm, Variation, and Usage
The foundational norm makes neniom an invariant, clause-negating -om word. Its quantity and degree uses are both well attested. In everyday conversation, speakers often choose a simpler verb negation—Mi ne havas tempon—where quantified Mi havas neniom da tempo adds emphasis on zero. Both are standard. For precise comparative or measured claims (academic), neniom pli, neniom malpli, and neniom ŝanĝiĝis are especially useful.
Common Mistakes
Omitting da before the measured noun
❌ Restis neniom akvo.
Incorrect — the noun naming the measured substance requires da.
✅ Restis neniom da akvo.
No water remained.
Adding ne as negative concord
❌ Mi ne havas neniom da pacienco.
Incorrect for 'I have no patience'; the double negative suggests that some patience exists.
✅ Mi havas neniom da pacienco.
I have no patience at all.
Adding accusative to an invariant word
❌ Mi ŝparis neniomn.
Incorrect — neniom never takes -n.
✅ Mi ŝparis neniom.
I saved nothing at all.
Confusing thing with quantity
❌ Mi trinkis nenio da kafo.
Incorrect — nenio is a thing-domain word, not a quantity determiner.
✅ Mi trinkis neniom da kafo.
I drank no coffee at all.
Key Takeaways
Neniom combines negative neni- with quantity/degree -om. It is invariant, uses da before a measured noun, and can mark zero degree directly. Contrast zero neniom with small positive iom/malmulte, thing-domain nenio, and manner-domain neniel. See negative concord and kiom for the wider grammar.
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Start learning Esperanto →Related Topics
- The Table-Word SystemA1 — Learn Esperanto's 45 table words as a five-by-nine meaning system for questions, demonstrations, indefinites, universals, and negatives.
- Correlative Endings and Their MeaningsA1 — Learn the nine fixed correlative endings that select identity, thing, kind, possessor, place, time, reason, manner, and quantity.
- Kiom: The Question/Relative Quantity CorrelativeA2 — Ask and relate amounts, numbers, measurements, and emphatic degrees with the invariant quantity word kiom.
- Iom: The Indefinite Quantity CorrelativeB2 — Use iom for a small but meaningful indefinite quantity or degree, with da phrases and without case or plural endings.
- Nenio: The Negative Thing CorrelativeC1 — Use nenio and nenion for no thing, fact, or content while controlling adjective order, scope, and double negation.
- Negative ConcordA2 — Understand when one negative expression negates an Esperanto clause, when two negatives reverse each other, and when repetition merely intensifies.