Nici nu negociez, nici nu cumpăr ceainicul.

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Breakdown of Nici nu negociez, nici nu cumpăr ceainicul.

• a cumpăra: to buy
• nici … nici: neither … nor
• ceainicul: the teapot

Questions & Answers about Nici nu negociez, nici nu cumpăr ceainicul.

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

It is the Romanian pattern for neither ... nor.

So Nici nu negociez, nici nu cumpăr ceainicul is built as two parallel negative parts:

• nici nu negociez = neither do I negotiate
• nici nu cumpăr ceainicul = nor do I buy the teapot

Romanian often repeats the full negative structure in both halves.

Why is nu used after each nici?

Because nu is the normal marker that negates a finite verb in Romanian.

With verbs, nici does not usually replace nu. Instead, nici adds the neither/nor idea, while nu is still the actual verbal negation.

That is why standard Romanian says:

• Nici nu negociez, nici nu cumpăr...

not normally:

• Nici negociez, nici cumpăr...

So you can think of nici as the linker, and nu as the negative particle attached to the verb.

Does nici ever mean not even? Is that happening here?