¡Hola, amigos! Either and neither can be tricky for English speakers learning Spanish because they don’t always have direct translations. Understanding the context is key to choosing the right Spanish expression. Let’s learn this quickly!
NEITHER
1. NEITHER… NOR…
| # | ENGLISH | ESPAÑOL |
|---|---|---|
| STRUCTURE | Neither X nor Y | Ni X ni Y |
| EXAMPLE | Neither John nor Pepe is here. | Ni John ni Pepe están aquí. |
2. NEITHER (NONE OF THE TWO)
| # | English | Spanish |
|---|---|---|
| STRUCTURE | Neither + noun + verb | Ninguno de los dos + sustantivo + verbo (Ninguna de las dos) |
| EXAMPLE | Neither man is happy. | Ninguno de los dos hombres es feliz. |
3. NEITHER (NEGATIVE AGREEMENT)
| # | English | Spanish |
|---|---|---|
| STRUCTURE | Neither (negative agreement) | Tampoco |
| EXAMPLE | “I don’t want to eat.” “Neither do I.” | “No quiero comer.” “Yo tampoco.” |
EITHER
1. EITHER… OR…
| # | English | Spanish |
|---|---|---|
| Structure | Either X or Y | O X o Y |
| Example | Either John or Pepe will come. | O John o Pepe vendrá. |
2. EITHER (ANY ONE OF THE TWO)
| # | English | Spanish |
|---|---|---|
| Structure | Either + noun | Cualquiera de los dos + sustantivo (CUALQUIERA DE LAS DOS) |
| Example | You can choose either book. | Puedes elegir cualquiera de los dos libros. |
3. EITHER (NEGATIVE AGREEMENT)
| # | English | Spanish |
|---|---|---|
| Structure | Either (negative agreement) | Tampoco |
| Example | “I don’t want this pizza.” “I don’t want it either.” | “No quiero esta pizza.” “No la quiero tampoco.” |
SUMMARY TABLE
| ENGLISH | ESPAÑOL |
| NEITHER JOHN NOR PEPE | NI JOHN NI PEPE |
| NEITHER MAN IS HAPPY | NINGUNO DE LOS DOS HOMBRES ES FELIZ |
| NEITHER DO I | YO TAMPOCO |
| EITHER JOHN OR PEPE | O JOHN O PEPE |
| CHOOSE EITHER BOOK | ELIGE CUALQUIERA DE LOS DOS LIBROS |
| I DON’T WANT IT EITHER | YO NO LO QUIERO TAMPOCO |
TIP! Neither and either can be confusing because both can be translated as tampoco. Also, we can use tampoco in 2 ways. If it goes after a verb, we must add no before the verb:
Yo tampoco quiero pizza.
Yo no quiero pizza tampoco.
And now, let’s play this game!
