Introduction to Zweiteilige Konnektoren
In German, zweiteilige Konnektoren (two-part connectors) like weder ... noch are used to link two negative statements, indicating that neither of the two options applies. The phrase weder ... noch translates to "neither ... nor" in English.
Using weder ... noch
The two parts, weder and noch, surround the elements being negated. These can be nouns, verbs, adjectives, or entire clauses, emphasizing that both options are excluded.
Er spricht weder Deutsch noch Englisch. - He speaks neither German nor English.
Ich habe weder Zeit noch Geld. - I have neither time nor money.
Examples of weder ... noch in Sentences
1. Linking Nouns
When linking nouns, place weder before the first noun and noch before the second noun.
Wir haben weder einen Garten noch einen Balkon. - We have neither a garden nor a balcony.
Er isst weder Fleisch noch Fisch. - He eats neither meat nor fish.
2. Linking Verbs
To link verbs, place weder before the first verb and noch before the second verb.
Er weder liest noch schreibt gern. - He likes neither reading nor writing.
Sie weder kocht noch backt. - She neither cooks nor bakes.
3. Linking Adjectives
When linking adjectives, use weder ... noch to indicate that neither quality applies.
Das Wetter ist weder warm noch sonnig. - The weather is neither warm nor sunny.
Das Zimmer ist weder sauber noch ordentlich. - The room is neither clean nor tidy.
4. Linking Entire Clauses
You can also use weder ... noch to link entire clauses to indicate that neither option is true.
Weder will er kommen, noch hat er Zeit. - He neither wants to come nor has time.
Weder haben wir das Spiel gewonnen, noch hatten wir Spaß. - We neither won the game nor had fun.
Note: Use weder ... noch to indicate that neither option applies or is true.