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L'orphelin n'a ni famille ni argent.

L'orphelin n'a ni famille ni argent.
The orphan has neither family nor money.
From Lesson 396:Zero article after multiple negation (ni... ni...)·French

Questions & Answers about L'orphelin n'a ni famille ni argent.

Why are there no articles before famille and argent? Shouldn't it be ni une famille ni de l'argent?
This is the main rule of this lesson! When using the multiple negation ne... ni... ni... (neither... nor...), indefinite articles like un or une and partitive articles like du or de l' are completely dropped. Therefore, une famille becomes just famille, and de l'argent becomes just argent.
Why is the word pas missing after the verb a?
The negative structure in this sentence is ne... ni... ni.... Just like with other negative words such as jamais (never) or rien (nothing), the conjunction ni replaces pas. Adding pas to this structure is grammatically incorrect in French.
If we were talking about specific things that use definite articles (le, la, les), would we still drop them?
No, definite articles are an exception to this rule. You only drop indefinite and partitive articles after ni... ni.... If the sentence meant he has neither the time nor the energy, you would keep the articles: Il n'a ni le temps ni l'énergie.
Does orphelin change if the orphan is a girl?
Yes. Orphelin is the masculine form, used for a boy or for orphans in general. If you are specifically talking about a female orphan, you must use the feminine form, orpheline.

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