Ek werk nie in die wintervakansie nie.

I do not work during the winter vacation.

Breakdown of Ek werk nie in die wintervakansie nie.

• ek: I
• in: in
• werk: to work
• nie: not
• die wintervakansie: the winter vacation

Questions & Answers about Ek werk nie in die wintervakansie nie.

Why does Ek werk nie in die wintervakansie nie have two nies?

Afrikaans uses a double-negation structure for full negation. The first nie follows the finite verb (werk) to negate it, and the second nie comes at the very end of the clause to close off the negative. Both are required in standard Afrikaans to show the entire statement is negated.

Can I drop one of the nies, for example say Ek werk nie in die wintervakansie?

In casual speech you might hear only one nie, but in correct written and formal Afrikaans you need both. Omitting the final nie leaves the negation incomplete.

What is the typical word order in a sentence like Ek werk nie in die wintervakansie nie?

Afrikaans main clauses follow a verb-second (V2) rule. In negative sentences the order is:

1. Subject (Ek)
2. Finite verb (werk)
3. First nie
4. Any objects or adverbials (in die wintervakansie)
5. Final nie

This keeps the verb in second position and encloses the rest of the clause in negation.

Why is the final nie placed at the end rather than immediately after werk?

The final nie marks the boundary of the entire negated clause. It must come after all objects and adverbial phrases so that everything between the first and last nie is included in the negation.

How do you translate “during the winter holiday”? Can you use another preposition?

The most common, colloquial way is in die wintervakansie (“in the winter holiday”). You can also use gedurende die wintervakansie or tydens die wintervakansie, both meaning “during the winter holiday,” but in die is shorter and very frequent.

Is wintervakansie one word or two? How is it formed?

It’s a single compound noun: winter + vakansie → wintervakansie. Afrikaans often joins two nouns into one to form a new concept.

Why doesn’t Afrikaans use a continuous tense like English “am working”?

Standard Afrikaans does not have a special continuous aspect. The simple present (werk) covers both “I work” and “I am working.” If you want to stress an ongoing action, you can use the aan die + infinitive construction, for example Ek is nie aan die werk in die wintervakansie nie.

How would you form the future negative “I will not work during the winter holiday”?

Use the auxiliary sal plus the double-nie pattern:
Ek sal nie in die wintervakansie werk nie.
Here sal is in second position, followed by the first nie, then the time phrase, the main verb (werk) and the final nie.

How do you say “I’m not working during the winter holiday” if you want the sense of “I’m currently not working”?

To emphasize a current ongoing action, use aan die + infinitive with two nies:
Ek is nie aan die werk in die wintervakansie nie.