Ons ruil nie die verslete kledingstuk uit nie.

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Breakdown of Ons ruil nie die verslete kledingstuk uit nie.

• nie: not
• die kledingstuk: garment
• verslete: worn-out

Questions & Answers about Ons ruil nie die verslete kledingstuk uit nie.

Why are there two nie words in this sentence?

Afrikaans normally uses double negation in standard written language.

So:

• Ons ruil die verslete kledingstuk uit. = affirmative
• Ons ruil nie die verslete kledingstuk uit nie. = negative

A simple way to think about it is:

• the first nie introduces the negation
• the second nie closes it off near the end of the clause

This is one of the most noticeable differences from English, which usually only uses one not.

Why is the first nie placed after ruil?

In a normal main clause, the first nie usually comes after the finite verb.

Here the finite verb is ruil, so you get:

• Ons ruil nie ... nie.

That placement is very typical in Afrikaans. The rest of the clause then follows, and the second nie appears at the end.

Why is uit separated from ruil and placed near the end?