Breakdown of Le client n'achète ni la cravate ni la veste.
ne
not (used before the verb)
acheter
to buy
le client
the client / the customer
la veste
the jacket
le
him, it (masculine direct object pronoun)
la
her, it (feminine direct object pronoun)
la cravate
the tie
ni
nor
Questions & Answers about Le client n'achète ni la cravate ni la veste.
Why isn't there a pas in this sentence?
When using the multiple negation ne... ni... ni... (neither... nor...), the word pas is dropped completely. The ni... ni... replaces it to complete the negative meaning.
Normally, negative sentences change the article to de. Why is it still la cravate and la veste here?
Where does the ne go when listing multiple things with ni?
Why does achète have a grave accent (è) when the infinitive acheter doesn't?
Acheter (to buy) is a stem-changing verb. In the present tense, when the stress falls on that syllable (which happens for je, tu, il/elle/on, and ils/elles), the silent e changes to è so it can be pronounced clearly. It's a great pattern to remember as you build your vocabulary!
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