Jy moet nie afval weggooi wat kompos kan word nie.

You must not throw away waste that can become compost.

Breakdown of Jy moet nie afval weggooi wat kompos kan word nie.

• jy: you
• nie: not
• moet: must
• kan: can

Questions & Answers about Jy moet nie afval weggooi wat kompos kan word nie.

Why are there two nies in this sentence?

Afrikaans usually uses double negation.

So in Jy moet nie afval weggooi wat kompos kan word nie, the pattern is:

• nie after the verb phrase begins the negation
• the final nie closes it

A very rough structure is:

• Jy moet nie ... nie = You must/should not ...

This is one of the most important patterns in Afrikaans. English uses only one not, but Afrikaans normally uses two nies in sentences like this.

What does moet mean here? Is it must or should?

Moet often means must, but in real usage it can also sound like should, depending on context and tone.

So here it can suggest:

• must not
• should not

If the sentence is giving advice, English may prefer should not.
If it is a firm rule or instruction, must not may fit better.

So the grammar word is moet, but the best English equivalent depends on how strong the speaker wants to sound.

What does afval mean here?