Breakdown of La dorlotbesto havas nek longan felon nek akrajn ungegojn.
havi
to have
la
the
longa
long
nek
neither/nor
Questions & Answers about La dorlotbesto havas nek longan felon nek akrajn ungegojn.
What does nek ... nek ... mean?
It means neither ... nor .... In this sentence, nek longan felon nek akrajn ungegojn means the pet has neither long fur nor sharp claws. Esperanto uses nek to connect two things that are both being denied.
Why is there no separate ne in the sentence?
Because nek ... nek ... already carries the negative idea. So La dorlotbesto havas nek longan felon nek akrajn ungegojn is a complete and natural way to say that the pet does not have either of those things. You do not need an extra ne here.
Why do longan felon and akrajn ungegojn have the ending -n?
They are direct objects of havas. In Esperanto, the direct object normally takes -n. Since the pet is the subject and the things it has or does not have are the objects, felon and ungegojn get -n. Any adjectives describing those nouns must match them, so longan and akrajn also take -n.
Why is it longan felon but akrajn ungegojn?