‖nie waar, nie waar nie, adverbial phrase

/ni ˈvɑː(r) (ni)/
Forms:
Formerly also niet waar.
Origin:
Afrikaans, DutchShow more Afrikaans nie waar nie?, literally ‘not true?’, from Dutch niet not + waar true + nie negative particle, part of the double negative structure.
‘Isn’t that so?’, a tag question inviting assent.
1915 A.B. Marchand Dirk, S. African 55 (Swart)If a man steals my property and I don’t steal his, and he goes unpunished he’s better off than I — niet waar?
1963 M. Kavanagh We Merry Peasants 18They’ll cope with three or four wives each, man. You know what we chaps can be like down here...Big stuff, that’s us, nie waar nie?
1963 M.G. McCoy Informant, Port Elizabeth (now Gqeberha), Eastern CapeHow I envy you your N.Y. Phil. concert...They made a big hit in Russia a couple of years ago, nie waar?
‘Isn’t that so?’, a tag question inviting assent.
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19151963
nieuwziekte, nounn.nig, nounn.
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