"Zero" and "none" both indicate the absence of something, but they're used in different ways. "Zero" is a numerical value, specifically the number 0. "None," on the other hand, is a pronoun or determiner referring to the absence of something that can be counted or measured. The key difference lies in whether you're talking about a numerical quantity or a quantity of things.

Let's look at some examples to clarify this:

• Zero: This word is used with numbers and quantities that are directly measurable or countable. Think of scores, temperatures, or amounts of things.

  • "The temperature outside is zero degrees Celsius." (Meaning: The temperature is 0°C.)
  • "She scored zero points in the quiz." (Meaning: Her score was 0 points.)

• None: This word refers to the absence of something that could be counted or potentially counted. You can often replace "none" with "not one" or "not any."

  • "None of my friends came to the party." (Meaning: Not one of my friends came to the party.) This could be translated as "Zero friends came to the party", but this sounds slightly unnatural.
  • "There are none left." (Meaning: There are not any left.) This could be translated to "There are zero left", however this sounds slightly less natural and more formal than "There are none left".
  • "I have none." (Meaning: I don't have any.) This means you have zero of something, but "none" sounds more natural here.

One way to think about it is: use "zero" when you're dealing with numbers directly, and "none" when you're referring to the absence of a group or quantity. While sometimes they might seem interchangeable, the nuances in usage will make your English sound more natural and accurate.

Here are a few more examples illustrating these differences:

• Zero: "The balance in my bank account is zero dollars." (Meaning: I have $0 in my account.)
• None: "None of the answers were correct." (Meaning: Not one of the answers was correct.)
• Zero: "My phone has zero percent battery." (Meaning: My phone's battery is at 0%.)
• None: "There are none available at the moment." (Meaning: There are no [items] available at the moment.)

Remember the context! This will help you choose the most appropriate word.

Happy learning!