Neniu excludes every individual in a contextually relevant set: “nobody,” “no one,” “none,” or, before a noun, “no.” It combines negative neni- with individual ending -u. Because -u table words identify individuals, neniu can take plural -j and accusative -n—but its negative force already negates the clause, so it normally does not combine with verbal ne.
Negative column, individual row
The 45 table words form a five-by-nine grid. Their initial elements encode information status; their endings encode semantic domain:
| Element | Contribution | Contrast |
|---|---|---|
| neni- | no member satisfies the statement | i- some, ĉi- every, ki- which |
| -u | individual person or thing | -o general thing/fact, -a kind/quality |
The -u row gives kiu, tiu, iu, ĉiu, neniu. Changing only the initial element preserves the individual domain while moving from question to demonstration, indefiniteness, universality, or negation.
Neniu respondis al la unua mesaĝo.
Nobody replied to the first message.
Mi konas neniun en ĉi tiu kvartalo.
I know nobody in this neighborhood.
In the first example, standalone neniu normally implies neniu persono. In the second, neniun is the direct object and therefore takes -n. No separate ne is needed: neni- already denies the existence of a qualifying individual.
Before a noun or standing alone
Like other -u words, neniu can determine a following noun or stand alone when the relevant class is understood.
Neniu kandidato ricevis absolutan plimulton.
No candidate received an absolute majority.
— Kiu volas prezenti la raporton? — Neniu; ni ĉiuj ankoraŭ redaktas niajn partojn.
— Who wants to present the report? — Nobody; we are all still editing our sections.
Mi provis ĉiujn ŝlosilojn, sed neniu funkciis.
I tried all the keys, but none worked.
Before a noun, neniu is a determiner and excludes every relevant individual of that noun’s class. It does not combine with la: say neniu kandidato, not la neniu kandidato. Standalone reference depends on context; without an understood class, a person is the default interpretation.
The negative set is contextually restricted. Neniu kandidato ricevis absolutan plimulton means none of the candidates under discussion, not that no candidate anywhere in history ever did.
The four inflected forms
The -u row licenses both number and case:
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| non-accusative | neniu | neniuj |
| accusative | neniun | neniujn |
Singular neniu is the normal choice, even though its meaning covers zero members of a potentially plural set.
Neniu dosiero malaperis dum la ĝisdatigo.
No file disappeared during the update.
La ĝisdatigo difektis neniun dosieron.
The update damaged no file.
Plural neniuj is legitimate when the speaker explicitly contrasts with an expected plurality or treats plural items as a group.
Post la frosto restis neniuj floroj sur la balkono.
After the frost, no flowers remained on the balcony.
La sistemo konservis neniujn provizorajn dosierojn.
The system retained no temporary files.
PMEG notes that neniuj most naturally appears with a following plural noun. Standalone neniu remains usual: Neniu el la dosieroj malfermiĝas, “None of the files opens.”
One negative normally suffices
A neni- word normally negates the main verb and therefore the whole clause. Adding ne creates logical double negation in careful standard Esperanto.
Mi invitis neniun.
I invited nobody.
Mi ne invitis neniun; almenaŭ Sara ricevis inviton.
It is not true that I invited nobody; at least Sara received an invitation.
The second sentence is grammatical only with the special positive implication shown: ne denies the proposition “I invited nobody,” so at least one person was invited. Speakers whose first language uses obligatory negative concord often intend the first meaning but accidentally produce the second structure.
Several neni- words in one clause are more complex. Attested Esperanto sometimes lets them reinforce a single negation, but another arrangement can produce logical double negation. For unambiguous prose, use one negative table word and keep other indefinite dimensions in the i- series:
Neniu iam avertis min pri tiu risko.
Nobody ever warned me about that risk.
Here neniu supplies the clause’s negation, while iam contributes an indefinite time inside its scope. Stacking neniu neniam risks ambiguity between emphasis and two negations. The negative-concord guide treats those advanced patterns in detail.
Neniu, nenio, and nenia
English no hides three different semantic choices:
Neniu propono ricevis sufiĉe da voĉoj.
No proposal received enough votes.
Nenio en la propono estas nova.
Nothing in the proposal is new.
Nenia propono de tiu speco estus akceptebla.
No proposal of that kind would be acceptable.
Neniu selects individuals—here, individual proposals. Nenio stands alone for no thing or fact. Nenia excludes a kind or quality. The difference between neniu and nenia can be small in real contexts, but the underlying distinction remains identity versus kind.
Scope contrasts: neniu versus ne ĉiu
“Nobody” and “not everybody” are not interchangeable. Neniu gives a zero result; ne ĉiu negates universality and leaves some positive cases possible.
Neniu partoprenanto finis la teston.
No participant finished the test.
Ne ĉiu partoprenanto finis la teston.
Not every participant finished the test.
The second sentence implies or at least allows that some participants finished. Word order exposes scope: ne directly rejects ĉiu, while neniu excludes every individual from the positive event.
Questions, expectations, and exceptions
A neutral existence question uses iu. A question with neniu is negatively biased: the speaker suspects or reacts to a zero answer.
Ĉu iu telefonis dum mi estis ekstere?
Did anyone call while I was out?
Ĉu vere neniu telefonis post la anonco?
Did nobody really call after the announcement?
With krom, the exception falls outside the negated set:
Neniu krom la teknikisto sciis la pasvorton.
Nobody except the technician knew the password.
This does not contradict itself: the sentence excludes every relevant person other than the explicitly exempted technician.
Norm and usage
The negative force of neni-, determiner status, and -u case/number forms are foundational. Singular neniu is overwhelmingly the neutral form; plural neniuj is standard but marked by an explicit plural perspective. Corpus evidence supports both.
Logical ne + neniu is available for deliberate double negation, while concord-like repetition of several neni- words is attested but structurally ambiguous. The pedagogical recommendation is therefore conservative and precise: one negative marker per simple clause unless a genuine double-negation or emphatic effect is intended.
Common Mistakes
Copying negative concord with ne
❌ Mi ne vidis neniun ĉe la enirejo.
Incorrect for the intended 'I saw nobody' meaning — ne plus neniun creates double negation.
✅ Mi vidis neniun ĉe la enirejo.
I saw nobody at the entrance.
Forgetting object -n
❌ La propono konvinkis neniu.
Incorrect — neniu is the direct object and needs -n.
✅ La propono konvinkis neniun.
The proposal convinced nobody.
Combining two determiners
❌ La neniu respondo estis klara.
Incorrect — neniu itself determines the noun.
✅ Neniu respondo estis klara.
No answer was clear.
Confusing zero with “not all”
❌ Neniu gasto venis ĝustatempe; tri tamen alvenis antaŭ la komenco.
Contradictory — neniu says zero guests arrived on time.
✅ Ne ĉiu gasto venis ĝustatempe; tri tamen alvenis antaŭ la komenco.
Not every guest arrived on time; three nevertheless arrived before the start.
Using nenio before a noun
❌ Nenio kandidato respondis.
Incorrect — -o table words cannot determine a noun.
✅ Neniu kandidato respondis.
No candidate replied.
Key Takeaways
- neni- supplies clause-negating force; -u targets individuals.
- Neniu can stand alone or determine a noun, without la.
- Its forms are neniu, neniun, neniuj, neniujn; singular is the usual default.
- Do not add ne unless you genuinely intend logical double negation.
- Contrast neniu “no individual” with nenio “nothing” and nenia “no kind.”
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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.
- Case and Number on CorrelativesA2 — Learn exactly which correlative families accept plural -j, object -n, or directional -n, and which remain invariant.
- Nenio: The Negative Thing CorrelativeC1 — Use nenio and nenion for no thing, fact, or content while controlling adjective order, scope, and double negation.
- Nenia: The Negative Kind Or Quality CorrelativeC1 — Use nenia to exclude every kind or quality, with adjective-like agreement, determiner behavior, and precise contrast with neniu.
- Negative CorrelativesA1 — The nine neni- table words for nobody, nothing, nowhere, never, no kind, no reason, no way, no amount, and nobody’s.
- Negative ConcordA2 — Understand when one negative expression negates an Esperanto clause, when two negatives reverse each other, and when repetition merely intensifies.