glad nie

Not at All: Glad Nie

Level 3

Glad nie means not at all: Ek is glad nie moeg nie. (I'm not tired at all.)

How It Works

1. Glad before nie. Glad stands just in front of the first nie, in the normal place for nie (where the first nie goes). The second nie stays at the end:

  • Ek is glad nie moeg nie. (I'm not tired at all.)
  • Hy het glad nie gebel nie. (He didn't call at all.)
  • Die kos was glad nie sleg nie. (The food was not bad at all.)

2. With other negative words. Glad can also strengthen niks, niemand, nêrens and geen. Do not add another nie before these words:

  • Ek het glad niks gehoor nie. (I heard nothing at all.)
  • Daar was glad geen brood in die huis nie. (There was no bread at all in the house.)

3. As a short answer. Is jy kwaad? — Glad nie! (Are you angry? — Not at all!)

4. Glad on its own. Without a negative, glad is an adjective meaning smooth or slippery: Die pad is glad. (The road is slippery.)

Tip: in speech, g'n can also mean glad nie. In careful writing, hoegenaamd nie is a formal choice.

Examples (6)

  1. Ek is glad nie moeg nie.

    I'm not tired at all.

    Word by Word: I am at-all not tired not.

  2. Hy het glad nie gebel nie.

    He didn't call at all.

    Word by Word: He has at-all not called not.

  3. Ek het glad niks gehoor nie.

    I heard nothing at all.

    Word by Word: I have at-all nothing heard not.

    Glad makes niks stronger. There is no extra nie before niks.

  4. Daar was glad geen brood in die huis nie.

    There was no bread at all in the house.

    Word by Word: There was at-all no bread in the house not.

  5. Die kos was glad nie sleg nie.

    The food was not bad at all.

    Word by Word: The food was at-all not bad not.

  6. Is jy kwaad? Glad nie!

    Are you angry? Not at all!

    Word by Word: Are you angry? At-all not!

    As a short answer, glad nie needs no second nie.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving out the second nie.

    Ek is glad nie moeg.
    Ek is glad nie moeg nie.

    Glad makes the nie stronger, but the sentence still needs the second nie at the end.

  • Putting glad after nie.

    Ek is nie glad moeg nie.
    Ek is glad nie moeg nie.

    Glad always goes directly before the negative word.

  • Adding an extra nie before niks.

    Ek het glad nie niks gehoor nie.
    Ek het glad niks gehoor nie.

    Niks is already negative. Glad goes straight before it, and only the final nie is added.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

glad nieLevel 3Not at All: Glad Nie

Learn This First

Glad nie strengthens the first nie.