Dis nie dat ons wag nie; dis net dat ons redigeer.

Dis is the contracted form of dit is, which means it is.

So:

• Dis nie dat ... nie = It’s not that ...
• Dis net dat ... = It’s just that ...

Using dis is very common in normal Afrikaans, both in speech and informal writing.

Dat means that and introduces a subordinate clause.

In this sentence, the structure is:

• Dis nie dat ons wag nie = It’s not that we’re waiting
• dis net dat ons redigeer = it’s just that we’re editing

So dat works much like English that in It’s not that... / It’s just that...

Afrikaans normally uses double negation.

A basic negative sentence often has:

• one nie after the verb or the part being negated
• another nie at the end of the clause

So:

• Dis nie dat ons wag nie

This is standard Afrikaans grammar, not emphasis. A learner often wants to translate only one not, but Afrikaans usually needs both nies.

Because the second half is not negative.

• dis net dat ons redigeer = it’s just that we’re editing

Here, net means just or simply, not not. So there is no double negation in that clause.

Afrikaans usually does not use a separate auxiliary like English am/is/are for the ordinary present progressive.

So:

• ons wag can mean we wait or we are waiting
• ons redigeer can mean we edit or we are editing

The exact meaning depends on context. In this sentence, English naturally uses are waiting and are editing, but Afrikaans does not need an extra verb for that.

Because dat introduces a subordinate clause.

In Afrikaans subordinate clauses, the verb typically comes later in the clause, often at the end. With a very short clause like:

• dat ons wag
• dat ons redigeer

it may not look very different from English, because there are only two main parts: ons + verb.

You can see the pattern more clearly in a longer example:

• Dis nie dat ons nou wag nie
• Dis net dat ons die teks nou redigeer

The verb tends to stay toward the end of the subordinate clause.

Net here means just, simply, or only in the sense of softening or clarifying what is really going on.

So:

• dis net dat ons redigeer = it’s just that we’re editing

It helps correct the first idea:

• not waiting
• just editing

Yes. That is fully grammatical.

The version with dit is is a little more full and formal, while dis is the usual contracted form in everyday language.

So both are correct:

• Dit is nie dat ons wag nie ...
• Dis nie dat ons wag nie ...

It is a very useful pattern for correcting a misunderstanding or giving a more accurate explanation.

It means:

• It’s not that X; it’s just that Y

So the speaker is saying:

• Don’t interpret the situation as waiting
• The real explanation is that we’re editing

This structure is common when you want to sound explanatory rather than blunt.

The object can be left out if it is already understood from context.

So ons redigeer can mean:

• we are editing
• we are editing it/the document/the text

If the listener already knows what is being edited, Afrikaans does not need to repeat it.

Not especially for grammar. It mainly shows that the two parts are closely connected.

The semicolon helps separate:

• the rejected idea: Dis nie dat ons wag nie
• the real explanation: dis net dat ons redigeer

A comma or dash might also be possible in less careful writing, but the semicolon makes the contrast especially clear.