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Ni ella ni yo queremos perder el autobús otra vez.

Ni ella ni yo queremos perder el autobús otra vez.
Neither she nor I want to miss the bus again.
FromLesson 15inHardcore Spanish (Spain)

Breakdown of Ni ella ni yo queremos perder el autobús otra vez.

yo
I
querer
to want
ella
she
otra vez
again
el autobús
the bus
ni ... ni
neither ... nor
perder
to miss

Questions & Answers about Ni ella ni yo queremos perder el autobús otra vez.

Why is the verb in the 1st‑person plural (queremos) even though one subject is ella?
Because ni ella ni yo together form a plural subject equivalent to nosotros/nosotras (“she and I”). When different persons are mixed, Spanish gives priority to the 1st person if yo is included, so the verb goes in 1st‑person plural: queremos. Singular (quiere) would be nonstandard here.
Could it ever be quieren?
Not with ella + yo. Including yo forces 1st‑person plural (queremos). You would use quieren if the combined subject were entirely 3rd person (e.g., ni Ana ni Luis quieren…) or if it were formal plural with ustedes (e.g., Ni usted ni la señora quieren…).
Could it be queréis?
Only if one of the subjects is tú (informal “you”) in Spain: Ni tú ni Ana queréis… (2nd‑person plural, vosotros). With yo in the mix, it must be queremos.
Do I need to add no before the verb?
No. Because ni…ni appears before the verb, it already negates the sentence: Ni ella ni yo queremos… If the negative items come after the verb, add no: No queremos ni esperar ni llegar tarde.
Why not Ni ella ni yo no queremos?
Avoid an extra no when ni…ni comes before the verb. Spanish allows double negatives, but the extra no is used when the negative word follows the verb, not when it precedes it.
Can I flip the order to Ni yo ni ella?
Yes, it’s grammatical: Ni yo ni ella queremos… Many speakers prefer to mention themselves last (ella y yo, ni ella ni yo) as a politeness convention, but both orders are fine.
Why is it yo and not mí?
Because it’s a subject. Use subject pronouns (yo, tú, él/ella) in subject position. Mí is only used after prepositions: ni a ella ni a mí nos apetece…
Is perder el autobús the standard way to say “miss the bus” in Spain? What about perderse?
  • Standard in Spain: perder el autobús (“to miss the bus”).
  • You may hear pronominal perderse algo (“miss out on something”: me perdí el concierto). Some people say me perdí el autobús, but the neutral, safest choice in Spain for this meaning is the non‑pronominal perder el autobús.
  • Note: perderse also means “to get lost” (nos perdimos).
Why is it el autobús and not al autobús?
Because perder takes a direct object without a preposition: perder algo. The “personal a” (a) is used with direct objects that are people (and often pets): Perdí a mi perro. A bus isn’t a person, so it’s perder el autobús.
Can I replace el autobús with a pronoun?
Yes, if the referent is clear: Ni ella ni yo queremos perderlo otra vez. The object pronoun can go before the conjugated verb (No lo queremos perder) or attached to the infinitive (No queremos perderlo).
Is a comma needed after Ni ella ni yo?
No. Don’t separate the subject from the verb with a comma: Ni ella ni yo queremos…, not Ni ella ni yo, queremos…
Why vez and not ves? And what about the accent in autobús?
  • vez (with z) is the noun “time/occasion.” ves (with s) is “you see” (2nd‑person of ver).
  • autobús has an accent because the stress falls on the final syllable of a word ending in -s; the accent mark signals that non‑default stress.
Can I use de nuevo or move otra vez?

Yes. Options:

  • Ni ella ni yo queremos perder el autobús de nuevo.
  • Ni ella ni yo queremos volver a perder el autobús.
  • Fronting for emphasis is fine: Otra vez no queremos perder el autobús, or No queremos perder el autobús otra vez.
Is there any difference between ni…ni… and saying y no?

They’re equivalent here:

  • Ni ella ni yo queremos…
  • Ella y yo no queremos…
    Ni…ni… is slightly more emphatic; y no is a neutral paraphrase.
How is the z in vez pronounced in Spain?
In most of Spain, z (and c before e/i) is pronounced like English “th” in “thin”: [θ]. So vez ≈ [beθ]. In much of Latin America it’s pronounced [s].
Are there other common words in Spain for autobús?
  • bus is widely used informally: perder el bus.
  • autocar usually refers to an intercity coach.
  • In the Canary Islands you’ll hear guagua. On the mainland, autobús or bus are the safe choices.
If both are women, would you use nosotras?
The verb form queremos is the same. If you replace the explicit subject with a pronoun, you’d say: Nosotras no queremos perder el autobús otra vez. With mixed gender, it would be Nosotros…
Why not the subjunctive (queramos)?
Because this is a straightforward statement in the present indicative. The subjunctive appears in contexts like: Es posible que ni ella ni yo queramos ir.
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