Né io né mia sorella possiamo venire stasera.

Neither I nor my sister can come tonight.

Breakdown of Né io né mia sorella possiamo venire stasera.

• io: I
• potere: to be able
• mia: my
• la sorella: the sister

Questions & Answers about Né io né mia sorella possiamo venire stasera.

What does "né ... né ..." do in this sentence?

It’s a correlative negative conjunction meaning neither ... nor .... It negates both coordinated subjects: né io né mia sorella = “neither I nor my sister.” Together they function as a single (plural) subject.

Do I need to add "non" as well?

• When the negative element(s) come before the verb, you don’t add non: Né io né mia sorella possiamo... is correct.
• When the negative part comes after the verb, you must use non: Io e mia sorella non possiamo né venire né restare.
• With postverbal subjects (more natural in 3rd person): Non verranno né mia sorella né mio fratello.

Why is the verb possiamo (and not posso or può)?

Because the subject is effectively noi (“io + mia sorella”). Italian verbs agree with the overall subject:

• io + someone else → 1st person plural: possiamo
• The verb is the present indicative of potere: posso, puoi, può, possiamo, potete, possono.

If it were "né tu né lui", which verb form should I use?