Úder není ani forhend, ani bekhend.

The stroke is neither a forehand nor a backhand.

Breakdown of Úder není ani forhend, ani bekhend.

• být: to be
• ani: nor
• ani: neither
• úder: the stroke; shot

Questions & Answers about Úder není ani forhend, ani bekhend.

What does ani ... ani mean in this sentence?

It means neither ... nor.

So:

• ani forhend, ani bekhend = neither a forehand nor a backhand

This is the normal Czech way to join two negative alternatives. English uses neither ... nor; Czech uses ani ... ani.

Why is ani repeated twice?

Because Czech normally repeats it before each item:

• ani X, ani Y = neither X nor Y

So Úder není ani forhend, ani bekhend is literally structured like:

• The stroke is not neither-forehand, neither-backhand
• natural English: The stroke is neither a forehand nor a backhand

Using ani only once would not sound right here.

Why is the verb není used?

Není is the 3rd person singular form of být (to be) in the present tense, with negation:

• je = is
• není = is not

It is singular because the subject úder is singular:

• Úder není ... = The stroke is not ...

What is úder grammatically?