"Ni" and "E"

[wafflestomp]

What do both of these mean? I tried to search online and the results were just awful to say the least :D

I've seen them both meaning "and" before, but what else, if anything, do they signify?

[Rusty]

'E' is used for the word 'and' when the word that follows begins with the same sound as 'y'. That includes words like interesante and hizo.

'Ni' means 'neither' or 'not even'. Could you provide an example of when you thought it meant 'and'?

[ookami]

Maybe in "No estudia ni trabaja" he thought of "No estudia y trabaja"...
"No estudia ni trabaja" - "He does not study not even work" (is this ok?)

[Rusty]

He doesn't study or work.
He neither studies nor works.

[ookami]

Much clearer now, thanks :)

[wafflestomp]

Thank you for clearing that up...

so, can you give me an example of a sentence with "e" rather than "y"?

[ookami]

"Era una mujer muy bella e inteligente" - "She was a very beautiful and intelligent woman"
"Era una mujer muy bella y apasionada"

"Fue a la cocina e hizo algo para comer" "He went to the kitchen and made something to eat"
"Fue a la cocina y preparó algo para comer"

* can I use "make" for food in English? "He went to the kitchen and made something to eat"

[Rusty]

Yes, ookami, you can use 'make'. Those are very good example sentences.

[chileno]

"Era una mujer muy bella e inteligente" - "She was a very beautiful and intelligent woman"
"Era una mujer muy bella y apasionada"

"Fue a la cocina e hizo algo para comer" "He went to the kitchen and prepared something to eat"
"Fue a la cocina y preparó algo para comer"

* can I use "make" for food in English? "He went to the kitchen and made something to eat"

* yes, you can, although "fix(ed)" is much used.

[ookami]

Thanks Rusty and chileno :D I never would have imagined that "to fix" could be used that way.

[Perikles]

Thanks Rusty and chileno :D I never would have imagined that "to fix" could be used that way.Definitely not used that way in BrE, to fix always means to mend, not to make. :)

[ookami]

Oh, that's why. I've learned more than nothing BrE English at school. Thanks Perikles.

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

Adding some examples:

In the market I bought apples and figs.
En el mercado compré manzanas e higos.
En el mercado compré higos y manzanas.

In that box there are needles and threads.
En esa caja hay agujas e hilos.
En esa caja hay hilos y agujas.

In the museum we saw the collections Mayan and Inca.
En el museo vimos las colecciones maya e inca.
En el museo vimos las colecciones inca y maya.

Those paramedics can assist victims of car accidents and fires.
Esos paramédicos pueden atender a las víctimas de accidentes de tránsito e incendios.
Esos paramédicos pueden atender a las víctimas de incendios y accidentes de tránsito.

[wafflestomp]

Thanks for the examples guys.

Here in America, we say "made" for food more than "fixed" for food. I'm going to fix supper sounds very archaic to me. It's like something you'd see in a movie from the 50's or 60's.

Now, we mostly just say "make dinner" or "cook dinner"