nem
Portuguese, conjunction/ˈnẽj̃/
nem is spelled N-E-M (3 letters) and appears 741 times per million words in written Portuguese, the 123rd most frequent Portuguese word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Nem is a Portuguese conjunction meaning “nor; and not (introduces a further negative statement)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário) defines it as “conjunção que liga orações ou termos, negando conjuntamente ambas as orações ou qualidades dos termos”.
What does nem mean in English?
adverb
- 1
not even (introduces an emphatic negation)
Nem eu sabia disso.
- 2
do not even (introduces an emphatic negative command)
Nem pense em fazer isso.
adverb
- 1
neither … nor
Nem gosto nem desgosto.
conjunction
- 1
nor; and not (introduces a further negative statement)
Não sei, nem quero saber.
- 2
nor (introducing each except the first term of a series, indicating none of them is true)
Devemos aguentar sem água nem comida.
interjection
- 1
Brazilcolloquialnah, no
Você gosta de abóbora? Nem! Eu prefiro cenoura.
Source: English Wiktionary, Portuguese section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How Portuguese dictionaries define it
adverb: 1. não 2. não até ao menos
conjunction: 1. conjunção que liga orações ou termos, negando conjuntamente ambas as orações ou qualidades dos termos
interjection: 1. expressa o não desejo para com algo
The definition in the Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário), in Portuguese.
Source: Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário), dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of nem
- nẽ alternative abbreviation obsolete
- nem! canonical
Source: English Wiktionary and Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce nem?
- Brazil /ˈnẽj̃/
- Brazil [ˈnẽɪ̯̃]
- Portugal /ˈnɐ̃j̃/
Sources: English Wiktionary, Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to nem
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is nem in Portuguese?
nem appears 741 times per million words in written Portuguese.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).