Question 1

Why is there a no before come if we already use ni... ni for 'neither... nor'?

Accepted Answer

In Spanish, if negative words like ni... ni come after the verb, you must put no before the verb. Literally, it says 'My brother doesn't eat neither meat nor fish.' While this is a double negative in English, it is completely correct and required in Spanish.

Question 2

Is it ever possible to use ni... ni without the word no?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but only if the negative words come before the verb. You could say Ni carne ni pescado come mi hermano, which drops the no. However, placing the verb first is much more common in everyday speech, which is why we need the no in this sentence.

Question 3

Why is it just carne and pescado instead of la carne and el pescado?

Accepted Answer

When talking about consuming unspecified amounts of food, Spanish often leaves out the article, just like English. Furthermore, the conjunction ni... ni almost always drops the definite article when listing general, uncountable nouns like meat and fish.

Question 4

I learned that 'fish' is pez. Why does this sentence use pescado?

Accepted Answer

In Spanish, pez refers to a live fish in the water. Once a fish is caught and used as food, it becomes pescado. Since this sentence is about eating, pescado is the right word.

Question 5

Why does the sentence use es for being vegetarian? Isn't a diet a temporary choice that could change?

Accepted Answer

Even though a person might change their diet, being vegetarian is treated as an identity, defining characteristic, or lifestyle rather than a temporary state or emotion. Because it describes a core trait, you always use ser (es) instead of estar.

Mi hermano no come ni carne ni pescado porque es vegetariano.

Breakdown of Mi hermano no come ni carne ni pescado porque es vegetariano.

Questions & Answers about Mi hermano no come ni carne ni pescado porque es vegetariano.

Learn Mi hermano no come ni carne ni pescado porque es vegetariano and more in Spanish