Language/Afrikaans/Grammar/Negation

Negation in Afrikaans

Negation is, very simply put, the so-called “negative form” in a language. We use it when we want to express the opposite of a positive or affirmative statement. What is the negative form in Afrikaans? Let’s dig in!

One of the most fascinating features of the Afrikaans language is its use of the double negative, which means that two negatives resolve into one negative. For instance, in English one would say, “He cannot speak Afrikaans,” and only use the word ‘not’ once. However, to express the negative in Afrikaans, we usually have to use the negating word twice:   

• Sy kan nie Afrikaans praat nie.

Literally: “She cannot Afrikaans speak not.”

The exact origins of the double negative in Afrikaans are still not fully understood.

In the description that follows, the term "scope marker" is used to refer to the second negative particle, nie, where one is required, whereas the first is called the "negator".

Don't miss the chance to check out these pages as you wrap up this lesson: Nouns, Give your Opinion, Pronouns & Questions.

The negators

The following words negate:

geen/g'n

no, not a/any

geeneen

not one

geensins

by no means, not in any way

nerens

nowhere

nie

not

niemand

no-one,nobody

niks

nothing

nooit

never

In certain limited contexts they function alone, but in the majority of cases they are complemented by a nie (the scopemarker), which demarcates the extent of the negation.

Rules for the use and position of the scope marker

If a sentence consists of only a subject and a finite verb, only the negator is required, e.g.

• Ek weet nie

I don't know.

• Hy bid nooit.

He never prays.

If it consists of only a subject, verb and a pronominal object, once again only the negator is required, e.g.

• Weet jy dit nie?

Don't you know that?

• Ek ken hom nie.

don't know him.

Source

https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110863154.401/html

Other Lessons

• Definite article
• The Rule of “Two Knees”
• Common Errors
• Adjectives
• Nouns
• Sentence Structure
• Gender
• The Rule of “One Knee”
• Questions
• Conditional Mood