Ons toets nie soseer draaiknoppe nie, maar sluitmeganismes.

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Breakdown of Ons toets nie soseer draaiknoppe nie, maar sluitmeganismes.

• toets: to test
• nie soseer ... nie, maar ...: not so much ... as ...
• die draaiknop: dial; rotary knob

Questions & Answers about Ons toets nie soseer draaiknoppe nie, maar sluitmeganismes.

What does nie soseer ... nie, maar ... mean in this sentence?

It is a contrast pattern meaning not so much ... but rather ... or not really ... but rather ....

So here:

• nie soseer draaiknoppe nie = not so much knobs
• maar sluitmeganismes = but rather locking mechanisms

This is a very common Afrikaans way to correct or refine what is being focused on.

Why are there two nie words?

Afrikaans usually uses double negation.

In a basic negative sentence, you often get:

• first nie near the part being negated
• second nie later in the clause

Here the structure is built into the expression:

• Ons toets nie soseer draaiknoppe nie, maar sluitmeganismes.

So the two nie words are not two separate English-style negatives. They are just normal Afrikaans negation.

What does soseer mean by itself?

Soseer means something like so much, to such an extent, or particularly.

You will often see it in the fixed expression:

• nie soseer X nie, maar Y

That whole pattern is more important than the word soseer on its own. For a learner, it is often best to remember the full phrase as one unit.

Why is ons used here? Does it always mean ?