Learn Spanish (Spain): No bebo café ni leche. - I drink neither coffee nor milk.

No bebo café ni leche.

I drink neither coffee nor milk.

Breakdown of No bebo café ni leche.

Questions & Answers about No bebo café ni leche.

Why does the sentence start with no if the translation says "neither"?

In Spanish, sentences generally need to have no before the verb to make the action negative. Instead of a direct translation of the English "I drink neither... nor...", Spanish phrases this as "I don't drink coffee nor milk" (no bebo café ni leche).

Can I put ni in front of café to perfectly match "neither coffee nor milk"?

Yes, you can! It is very common to say no bebo ni café ni leche. Adding that extra ni before café gives the sentence a little more emphasis, strongly pointing out that you reject both drinks. Both versions are perfectly correct.

Why aren't we using words for "the" (like el or la) before café and leche?

Just like in English, Spanish often skips the article when talking about an unspecified amount of food or drink in a general sense. Because you are talking about coffee and milk in general, rather than a specific cup of coffee (el café), you simply leave the article out.

How do we know it means "I" drink when the word for "I" (yo) isn't there?

The verb bebo comes from the infinitive beber (to drink). Because it ends in -o, it specifically tells you that "I" am doing the action. Since the verb ending already gives away who is drinking, Spanish speakers usually drop the yo to sound more natural.