Dis nie dat ons stop nie; dis net dat ons luister.

It's not that we stop; it's just that we listen.

Breakdown of Dis nie dat ons stop nie; dis net dat ons luister.

• ons: we
• luister: to listen
• stop: to stop
• dis nie dat ... nie; dis net dat ...: it's not that ...; it's just that ...

Questions & Answers about Dis nie dat ons stop nie; dis net dat ons luister.

What does dis mean?

Dis is the very common contracted form of dit is, meaning it is.

So:

• Dis nie ... = Dit is nie ...
• Dis net ... = Dit is net ...

In everyday Afrikaans, dis is extremely normal in both speech and informal writing.

Why is nie used twice in Dis nie dat ons stop nie?

Afrikaans usually uses double negation.

A basic negative sentence often has:

• the first nie after the verb or early in the clause
• the second nie near the end of the clause

So here:

• Dis nie ... nie

That is the standard Afrikaans way to say it is not ...

In this sentence, the second nie comes after stop because that closes the idea dat ons stop.

What is dat doing here?