Ne otobüs ne tren geldi.

Neither the bus nor the train arrived.

Breakdown of Ne otobüs ne tren geldi.

• otobüs: the bus
• gelmek: to come
• tren: the train
• ne ... ne: neither ... nor

Questions & Answers about Ne otobüs ne tren geldi.

Why is the verb positive (geldi) instead of negative (gelmedi)?

Because ne ... ne ... already provides the negation. In this construction the verb stays in its normal, affirmative form.

• Correct: Ne otobüs ne tren geldi.
• By contrast, with negative words like hiç kimse/hiçbir şey, the verb is negative: Hiç kimse gelmedi.

Is it ever okay to say Ne otobüs ne tren gelmedi?

You will hear it in colloquial speech, but in careful/standard Turkish it’s considered non-standard (a kind of double negation). Prefer the affirmative verb: Ne otobüs ne tren geldi.

Do I need the de after the second ne (as in ne ... ne de ...)?

• Both are fine: Ne otobüs ne tren geldi and Ne otobüs ne de tren geldi.
• Using ne de is very common and sounds slightly more natural.
• Only the second (and later) ne takes de; the first does not.
• It’s written separately: ne de.
• It is always de (never da) here, because it attaches to ne, whose vowel is e.

Should the verb be singular or plural?

• With ne ... ne ..., singular is preferred: Ne otobüs ne tren geldi.
• With human subjects, plural is sometimes used in speech: Ne annem ne babam geldiler, though many writers still prefer the singular geldi.
• With inanimate subjects (like vehicles), stick to singular.

How flexible is the word order?

• Neutral/canonical: Ne otobüs ne tren geldi.
• You can repeat or omit the second verb: Ne otobüs geldi ne tren (geldi).
• Fronting the verb is possible but literary/emphatic: Geldi ne otobüs ne tren.

What are natural alternative ways to say the same thing?

• Otobüs de tren de gelmedi.
• İkisi de gelmedi. (when exactly two items are involved)
• Hiçbiri gelmedi. (none of them came; any number)

Can I list more than two things with ne ... ne ...?

Yes:

• Ne otobüs ne tren ne de vapur geldi. You can place ne before each item and optionally use ne de from the second onward. Keep one verb at the end.

Does gelmek here really mean “to arrive”? Should it be varmak?

For vehicles “showing up” where you are, gelmek is natural: Otobüs gelmedi.
Use varmak when you specify the destination: Otobüs Ankara’ya varmadı.

Can ne ... ne ... coordinate verbs or adjectives too?

Yes.

• Adjectives: Biletler ne ucuz ne de pahalı.
• Verbs: Otobüs ne geldi ne de kalktı. The verb forms remain affirmative.

Can I use other tenses with this pattern?

Yes; the verb still stays affirmative:

• Present continuous: Ne otobüs ne tren geliyor.
• Future: Ne otobüs ne tren gelecek.
• Reported past: Ne otobüs ne tren gelmiş.

How do I express “the” bus and “the” train in Turkish here?

Turkish lacks articles; bare nouns can be definite from context. If you need to be explicit:

• Ne o otobüs ne de o tren geldi.
• Ne bu otobüs ne de şu tren geldi.

Any punctuation rules I should know?

No comma is required. Some writers add a comma for a pause/emphasis—Ne otobüs, ne tren geldi—but the unpunctuated version is standard.

How is ne de related to the clitic de/da meaning “also”?

It’s the same clitic. In ne ... ne de ... it attaches to ne (“nor …”), so it’s always de (not da). Elsewhere it follows vowel harmony with the preceding word:

• Otobüs de gelmedi, tren de gelmedi.

Pronunciation or stress tips?

• ne is short, like “neh.”
• otobüs: o-to-BÜS; tren: “tren.”
• Main stress typically falls on the last syllable of geldi: gel-Dİ.
  Say it smoothly as one phrase: Ne otobüs ne tren geldi.

Can I say Ne otobüs ne tren geldi değil?

No. Değil negates nominal predicates, not verbal ones. Use ne ... ne ... with a finite verb (as in the original), or an alternative like Otobüs de tren de gelmedi.

What’s the difference between ne ... ne ... and ya ... ya ...?

• ne ... ne ... = neither … nor … (negates the whole situation): Ne otobüs ne tren geldi.
• ya ... ya ... = either … or … (one of them will): Ya otobüs ya tren gelecek.