ook nie
Not Either: Ook Nie
To say not either, put ook in front of the first nie: Ek hou ook nie van koffie nie. (I don't like coffee either.)
How It Works
1. Ook comes before nie. Ook means also. When the sentence is negative, ook stands just before the first nie, and together they mean not either:
- Ek hou ook nie van koffie nie. (I don't like coffee either.)
- Ons het hom ook nie gesien nie. (We didn't see him either.)
2. The second nie still comes at the end. This is the normal double negation rule. If the first nie is already the last word, there is only one nie: Sy weet ook nie. (She doesn't know either.)
3. Me neither. To agree with a negative sentence, answer with Ek ook nie. To agree with a positive sentence, answer with Ek ook (Me too):
- Ek eet nie vleis nie. Ek ook nie. (I don't eat meat. Me neither.)
- Ek is moeg. Ek ook. (I'm tired. Me too.)
4. Putting ook first. For extra weight, ook can start the sentence together with the word it points to: Ook hy weet nie waar ek bly nie. (He doesn't know where I live either.) This sounds stronger and a little more formal.
Tip: For neither ... nor with two things side by side, Afrikaans uses nóg ... nóg.
Examples (6)
- Ek hou ook nie van koffie nie.
I don't like coffee either.
Word by Word: I hold also not of coffee not.
Ook sits just before the first nie, and the second nie closes the sentence.
- Sy weet ook nie.
She doesn't know either.
Word by Word: She knows also not.
The first nie is already the last word, so no second nie is added.
- Ek eet nie vleis nie. Ek ook nie.
I don't eat meat. Me neither.
Word by Word: I eat not meat not. I also not.
- Hy weet ook nie waar ek bly nie.
He doesn't know where I live either.
Word by Word: He knows also not where I live not.
- Ons het hom ook nie gesien nie.
We didn't see him either.
Word by Word: We have him also not seen not.
- Pieter eet nie vis nie, en sy vrou eet dit ook nie.
Pieter doesn't eat fish, and his wife doesn't eat it either.
Word by Word: Pieter eats not fish not, and his wife eats it also not.
Common Mistakes
Answering a negative sentence with Ek ook.
Ek hou nie van reën nie. Ek ook.Ek hou nie van reën nie. Ek ook nie.Ek ook means me too and agrees with a positive idea. After a negative sentence, say Ek ook nie.
Leaving out the final nie.
Ek hou ook nie van koffie.Ek hou ook nie van koffie nie.Words follow the first nie here, so the sentence must end with a second nie.
Putting nie before ook.
Sy weet nie ook.Sy weet ook nie.For not either, ook comes first: ook nie, not nie ook.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Ook nie means not either and keeps the closing nie.
Related Patterns
- Where the First nie Goes
Shows where the first nie goes, and ook stands just before it.
Level 3 - geenNo, Not Any: Geen
Another negative word that also needs a final nie.
Level 2 - nóg ... nógNeither ... nor
Neither ... nor for two things side by side.
Level 4 - nog nie/nie meer nieNot Yet and No Longer
Other common pairs built on nie: not yet and no longer.
Level 2 - glad nieNot at All: Glad Nie
A stronger negative: not at all.
Level 3
Words in This Pattern
Practice ook nie in Bubblegum
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