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Ne / n' ... aucun(e) + noun conveys the idea of 'absolutely no, not a single' + noun.
Aucun agrees in gender with the word that follows.
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| Bette: Alors Tex, Tammy est malade? |
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Bette: So Tex, is Tammy ill? |
| Tex: Aucune idée. Je suis passé chez elle hier soir et il n'y avait personne. Je n'ai reçu aucun coup de téléphone et aucune nouvelle depuis deux jours ... |
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Tex: I have no idea. I went to her place last night and there was nobody there. I have received no phone call and no news for two days ... |
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 Ne ... ni ... ni
is commonly translated as 'neither ... nor'. It is used in a similar way as the English expression.
Note, however, that in French the verb has to be preceded by ne (or n' in front of a vowel or a mute h).
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| Bette: Et moi, je n'ai vu Tammy ni hier ni aujourd'hui. |
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Bette: And me, I saw Tammy neither yesterday nor today. |
| Tex: Ni moi ni Fiona n'avons vu Tammy hier. Et aujourd'hui, Tammy ne m'a ni téléphoné ni écrit un e-mail. Je m'inquiète. Tu crois qu'elle est partie avec un autre tatou? |
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Tex: Neither I nor Fiona saw her yesterday. And today, Tammy neither called me nor wrote me an e-mail. I am worried. Do you think she left with another armadillo? |
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Ne ... que is used to express a restriction. It is usually translated as 'only'.
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| Bette: Peut-être ... Après tout, cela ne fait qu'un an que vous êtes ensemble ... |
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Bette: Maybe ... After all it has only been a year that you've been together ... |
| Tex: Oh, merci Bette! Il n'y a que toi pour dire des choses pareilles! |
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Tex: Oh, thanks Bette! Only you can say such things! |
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