Ek was nie kwaad nie; die nuus het my net verras.

I was not angry; the news just surprised me.

Breakdown of Ek was nie kwaad nie; die nuus het my net verras.

• ek: I
• hê: to have
• wees: to be
• nie: not

Questions & Answers about Ek was nie kwaad nie; die nuus het my net verras.

Why are there two nies in Ek was nie kwaad nie?

Afrikaans usually uses double negation. In a basic negative sentence, you often get:

• one nie near the part being negated
• a second nie near the end of the clause

So:

• Ek was nie kwaad nie = I was not angry

This is one of the most important patterns in Afrikaans. English speakers often want to use only one negative word, but standard Afrikaans normally needs both.

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Why is the first nie placed before kwaad?

Because kwaad is the part being negated.

In Ek was nie kwaad nie:

• Ek = I
• was = was
• kwaad = angry
• nie ... nie = not

So the structure is roughly:

• I was not angry

The first nie often comes before the adjective, noun, or phrase that is being denied, and the second nie closes the clause.

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Why is it Ek was nie kwaad nie and not Ek het nie kwaad gewees nie?