Word
El este foarte apatic; nici nu se spală.
Meaning
He is very apathetic; he does not even wash himself.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of El este foarte apatic; nici nu se spală.
fi
to be (sunt, ești, este, suntem, sunteți, sunt)
nu
no / not
el
he
foarte
very
Questions & Answers about El este foarte apatic; nici nu se spală.
Why do we need both nici and nu in this sentence?
Even though nici translates to the negative phrase 'not even', Romanian requires multiple negation. When emphasizing that an action does not happen, the verb must still be preceded by the negative particle nu. Saying nici se spală is grammatically incorrect.
What is the strict word order when combining nici with a reflexive verb?
The emphatic nici must come first, immediately followed by the negative particle nu. The reflexive pronoun (se) stays attached to the verb, coming right after nu. The unbroken sequence is: nici + nu + reflexive pronoun + verb.
Why use the reflexive se spală instead of just spală, since English often just says 'wash'?
The Romanian verb a spăla needs a direct object. When referring to bathing or washing one's own body, it must be used reflexively with se (himself). Without it, a native speaker would expect you to specify what he isn't washing, such as his clothes or his car.
Does nici always mean 'not even'?
Not always. In this lesson's context, placed before a negated verb, it means 'not even'. However, it is also commonly used to mean 'neither' or 'nor', such as in the paired structure nici... nici... (neither... nor...).