Start with the intended meaning
Simple phrases joined by weder … noch normally have no comma between them. Agreement with coordinated singular subjects can vary; use a clear construction instead of extending one agreement example to every sentence.
The weder … noch frame
| Frame | Example | Relationship |
|---|---|---|
| weder … noch | Wir haben weder einen Drucker noch einen Scanner. | both excluded |
Negation and commas follow the structure
Wir trinken weder Kaffee noch Tee. Weder … noch already excludes both drinks. Adding nicht as a second ordinary negative does not produce the intended neutral meaning. Separate negation can have a distinct scope in more complex sentences, so “never any other negative anywhere” is too broad. Test whether you want neither A nor B, or something different.
Apply the pattern in another context
Im Raum stehen weder Tische noch Stühle.
Both plural noun groups are excluded; stehen agrees with the plural construction.
Wir brauchen weder einen Ausdruck noch eine Kopie.
Both phrases are accusative objects of brauchen, despite their different articles.
Choose the form and explain the meaning
2. Exclude both tea and coffee with one pair.
Ich trinke weder Tee noch Kaffee. No extra ordinary nicht is needed.
Additional check 1. Express neither apples nor pears: Ich kaufe __ Äpfel __ Birnen.
Ich kaufe weder Äpfel noch Birnen. Both alternatives are excluded.
Additional check 2. Correct the ordinary intended meaning “neither option”: Wir nehmen nicht weder den Zug noch den Bus.
Wir nehmen weder den Zug noch den Bus. Weder … noch already negates both; an extra ordinary nicht does not express this intended meaning.
Additional check 3. Choose the parallel second object: Wir sprechen weder mit Nora noch __ Tuan.
Mit Tuan. Repeating mit makes both prepositional phrases explicit. This is not a ban on every omission in every context.
Start with the topic overview
German paired conjunctions and je … desto: build parallel structures · Find another grammar topic
Sources and further learning
- LEOs deutsche Grammatik: Mehrteilige Konjunktionen
- IDS grammis: Subjunktor — je … desto
- Rat für deutsche Rechtschreibung via IDS: Komma bei Reihungen (§§70–71)
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