niet

Meaning

Adv

not, no: used to express negation.

Noun

staple

Verb

1. (first-person,form-of,indicative,present,second-person,singular,third-person) inflection of nieten:
2. (form-of,imperative) inflection of nieten:

Pronounced as (IPA)

/nit/

Etymology

From Middle Dutch niwet, niet, from Old Dutch *niowiht, niewiht, from nio (“never”) + wiht (“thing, creature”). The former in turn derives from Proto-Germanic *ne (“not”) + *aiw- (“ever”) + *wihtą (“thing”).
It was originally a pronoun meaning "not a thing", and was later used to reinforce a regular negation. The pronomial meaning was lost in Middle Dutch. English not, and its older forms naught and nought, were formed in the same way, but "not" also lost its sense as a pronoun and became a negation adverb as in Dutch.

Sentences

Ik geloof niet dat dit iets zal veranderen .

I do not believe that this will change anything.

Die moeten we niet op het spel zetten .

We shouldn't put that on the line.

Het gaat niet alleen om dit verslag .

It is not just a question of this report.

Toch lijkt de ziekte voor veel mensen niet te bestaan .

But a lot of people act as if AIDS does not exist.

Je blijft hier toch niet staan in de kou ?

You're not going to stand here in the cold, are you?

Overigens kan ik niet iedereen zoveel voordeel geven .

Incidentally, I can't give everyone that much advantage.

Winter is niet echt een geschikt seizoen om te zeilen .

Winter is not really a suitable season for sailing.

Deze elementen kunnen niet zonder elkaar functioneren .

These elements cannot function without each other.