ELONIO
Log inSign up

Dans le dortoir, nous n'avions ni lit ni couverture.

Dans le dortoir, nous n'avions ni lit ni couverture.
In the dormitory, we had neither bed nor blanket.
From Lesson 396:Zero article after multiple negation (ni... ni...)·French

Questions & Answers about Dans le dortoir, nous n'avions ni lit ni couverture.

Why are there no articles before lit and couverture?
When you use the multiple negation ni... ni... (neither... nor...), indefinite articles (un, une, des) and partitive articles (du, de la, de l') are completely dropped. Since you would normally say un lit and une couverture, the articles disappear here, leaving just ni lit ni couverture.
Don't negative sentences usually change un or une to de? Why isn't it ni de lit?
That is true for standard negations! With pas, the indefinite article changes to de (like in nous n'avions pas de lit). However, the ni... ni... structure is an exception to that rule. It strips the indefinite and partitive articles entirely, rather than converting them to de.
Why is there a n' before avions but no pas?
The phrase ni... ni... acts as a negative expression itself, similar to rien (nothing) or jamais (never). You must use ne (or n' before a vowel) in front of the verb to mark the negation, but you drop the pas. Adding pas here would be grammatically incorrect.
Would we still drop the articles if we were talking about specific beds and blankets?
No, definite articles (le, la, les) are kept after ni... ni.... If you wanted to say we had neither the bed nor the blanket (referring to specific ones previously mentioned), you would say nous n'avions ni le lit ni la couverture. Only indefinite and partitive articles are omitted.
Why is the verb avions in the imparfait tense here instead of the passé composé?
The imparfait is used because this sentence describes an ongoing past state or the background conditions of the dormitory. If you used the passé composé (nous n'avons eu ni lit...), it would sound like a single, completed action, such as we didn't receive a bed.

Learn Dans le dortoir, nous n'avions ni lit ni couverture and more in French

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning French →