nie in Exclamations
Wat het hy nie alles gesê nie! means The things he said! Here nie is not negative; it turns the sentence into an exclamation.
How It Works
1. Nie that does not negate. Normally nie ... nie makes a sentence negative. In an exclamation that starts with a question word, it does something else: it stresses how much, how often or how strongly something happened.
- Wat het hy nie alles gesê nie! (The things he said!)
- Hoe dikwels het ek dit nie al gesê nie! (How often have I said that!)
- Hoe gelukkig was ons nie! (How happy we were!)
2. Word order. Most of these follow question word order: the question word or phrase comes first and the verb second. The first nie sits where it would in a normal negation, and the second closes the sentence. With a bare wat, the verb can also go to the end: Wat mense nie alles doen nie! (The things people do!)
3. With wat 'n. After wat 'n, you can add is dit nie: Wat 'n mooi dag is dit nie! (What a lovely day it is!) The shorter Wat 'n mooi dag! means the same.
4. How to recognise it. The sentence starts with wat, hoe or a similar word, often contains alles or al, and ends with an exclamation mark. Read the nie as so much, so often, not as not. A good English translation has no negative word.
Examples (6)
- Wat het hy nie alles gesê nie!
The things he said!
Word by Word: What has he not all said not!
The sentence is not negative. It means that he said a great many things.
- Hoe dikwels het ek dit nie al gesê nie!
How often have I said that!
Word by Word: How often have I it not already said not!
- Hoe gelukkig was ons nie!
How happy we were!
Word by Word: How happy were we not!
- Wat mense nie alles doen nie!
The things people do!
Word by Word: What people not all do not!
With a bare wat, the verb can go to the end.
- Wat 'n mooi dag is dit nie!
What a lovely day it is!
Word by Word: What a lovely day is it not!
- Wat het ons nie alles saam beleef nie!
We have been through so much together!
Word by Word: What have we not all together experienced not!
Common Mistakes
Leaving out the closing nie.
Wat het hy nie alles gesê!Wat het hy nie alles gesê nie!The exclamation follows the double negation pattern, so the closing nie is still needed at the end.
Leaving out the inversion after wat 'n + noun.
Wat 'n mooi dag dit is nie!Wat 'n mooi dag is dit nie!In the is dit nie pattern, the verb comes straight after wat 'n mooi dag, before the subject: is dit nie.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Nie can appear in exclamations without negating.
Related Patterns
Words in This Pattern
Practice nie in Exclamations in Bubblegum
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