Either … or; neither … nor
Paired connectors link parallel elements: entweder … oder expresses alternatives; weder … noch negates both elements. Keep the linked grammatical structures parallel.
Understand the idea
Paired connectors organise parallel alternatives or combined information. Entweder … oder presents alternatives, while weder … noch negates both. The elements joined should fit the same grammatical role so the sentence remains easy to follow.
Build it step by step
Join matching nouns, prepositional phrases, infinitives or clauses. Each noun phrase still needs its own case. When entire main clauses are linked, each clause must keep a valid finite-verb position. Neither/nor already carries negative meaning, so an extra nicht is usually unnecessary unless it has another specific scope.
See it in a sentence
Wir fahren entweder mit dem Bus oder mit dem Zug.
Du kannst entweder heute oder morgen kommen.
A useful memory aid
Check that the two linked pieces can each fill the same slot in the sentence. Parallel structure makes long sentences much clearer.
A common trap
Do not mix the two pairs as entweder … noch or weder … oder. Also avoid adding a second negative merely because the English translation contains not.