Jy moet nie te veel suiker gebruik nie.

You must not use too much sugar.

Breakdown of Jy moet nie te veel suiker gebruik nie.

• jy: you
• nie: not
• moet: must
• die suiker: the sugar
• gebruik: to use
• te: too
• veel: much

Questions & Answers about Jy moet nie te veel suiker gebruik nie.

Why are there two nie's in the sentence?

Afrikaans uses a double negation to express "not": one nie goes after the verb ("moet nie"), and the other nie appears at the end of the sentence. Both are needed for the sentence to be correct.

Does "te veel" mean the same as "too much" in English?

Yes. Te veel in Afrikaans directly translates to "too much" in English. It's used to indicate an excessive amount of something.

Is it correct to say "Jy moet te veel suiker nie gebruik nie"?

No. Afrikaans word order generally places the first nie immediately after the conjugated verb (in this case, moet). You’d typically say "Jy moet nie te veel suiker gebruik nie".

Could I leave out the second nie and just say "Jy moet nie te veel suiker gebruik"?

Technically, standard Afrikaans grammar requires double negation, so you need both nie's. Omitting the second nie might be understandable, but it sounds incomplete and is considered incorrect in formal writing or speech.

Does "Jy moet nie te veel suiker gebruik nie" always imply a command?

Yes. The structure "Jy moet nie ... nie" conveys a strong instruction or advice. It's not just a suggestion; it's more like "You must not ...". You could use softer phrases like "Moenie te veel suiker gebruik nie" (without Jy) for everyday, less formal instructions.