Since none of us had been there before, we hired a guide who claimed that he knew English and then we began looking at the ruins.

none 是代词，意思是"没有一个"或"毫无"，表示完全否定。在句中指"我们中没有一个人"。 claimed 是动词 claim 的过去式，claim 的意思是"声称、宣称"，指某人主动说出某个情况或事实。 ruins 是名词 ruin 的复数形式，ruin 指"废墟、遗迹"，通常指古代建筑或城市的残存部分。