Dis nie dat ons opneem nie; dis net dat ons toets.

Dis is the common contracted form of dit is.

So:

• Dis = Dit is = It is

Both are correct, but Dis is much more natural in everyday Afrikaans. Using Dit is here would sound a little fuller or more formal.

So you could also say:

• Dit is nie dat ons opneem nie; dit is net dat ons toets.

But the version with Dis is the one you will hear and see very often.

This is the normal Afrikaans negation pattern, often called double negation.

In many negative Afrikaans sentences, you use:

• nie ... nie

The first nie usually comes after the finite verb or early in the clause, and the second nie closes the negative part of the sentence.

So:

• Dis nie ... nie = It is not ...
• Ons neem nie op nie = We are not recording

In this sentence, the whole idea that we are recording is being denied:

• Dis nie dat ons opneem nie = It’s not that we’re recording

The second nie is not extra emphasis. It is part of standard Afrikaans grammar.

Dat means that and introduces a subordinate clause.

Here it appears in both halves:

• dis nie dat ons opneem nie
• dis net dat ons toets

This creates a very common pattern in Afrikaans:

• Dis nie dat ... nie; dis net dat ...
• It’s not that ...; it’s just that ...

So dat is linking the explanation that follows.

Because opneem is a separable verb.

In a main clause, separable verbs split:

• Ons neem op = We are recording

But in a subordinate clause introduced by dat, the verb goes to the end and the parts stay together:

• dat ons opneem

So:

• main clause: Ons neem op
• subordinate clause: dat ons opneem

That is why the sentence has dat ons opneem, not dat ons neem op.

After dat, Afrikaans uses subordinate clause word order.

That means the verb comes later in the clause, often at the end.

Compare:

• main clause: Ons neem op
• subordinate clause: dat ons opneem

With toets, there is only one verb, so the structure is simpler:

• dat ons toets

Since toets is already the only verb, it naturally comes after the subject ons.

So the sentence follows normal subordinate-clause word order.

Net here means just, only, or simply.

So:

• dis net dat ons toets = it’s just that we’re testing

It softens the statement and makes it sound like a clarification rather than a strong correction.

Compare:

• Dis dat ons toets = rather blunt and unusual here
• Dis net dat ons toets = natural, softer, more idiomatic

So net is important for the meaning and tone of the sentence.

Yes. Afrikaans often leaves out the object if it is already clear from context.

So ons toets can mean things like:

• we’re testing
• we’re doing a test
• we’re testing it or testing things

The exact object does not have to be stated if the listener already understands what is being tested.

This is similar to English, where you can say We’re just testing without naming the object every time.

The semicolon links two closely related clauses that contrast with each other:

• Dis nie dat ons opneem nie
• dis net dat ons toets

It helps show the structure not this, but rather that.

A comma is sometimes possible in less formal writing, but the semicolon makes the contrast especially clear and neat.

So it is mainly a punctuation choice that highlights the relationship between the two parts.

Yes. The structure Dis nie dat ... nie; dis net dat ... is very natural Afrikaans.

It is used when you want to correct a possible misunderstanding gently:

• It’s not that X; it’s just that Y

So the sentence does not just give information. It also manages the conversation politely by saying:

• Don’t interpret it this way
• Interpret it this way instead

That makes it a very useful everyday pattern to learn.