ليس فقط ... بل أيضاً

Not Only but Also

Level 4

The pattern ليس فقط ... بل أيضاً (Not only... but also) is used to link two parallel elements, adding emphasis to the second one. It is a common feature of modern journalistic and academic Arabic.

How It Works

The expression ليس فقط ... بل أيضاً is a modern standard construction used to expand on a statement. It is widespread in modern prose; for clear case analysis, use ordinary ليس syntax or make the second clause explicit.

1. Conjugation of Laysa:
When ليس acts as the main verb of the sentence, it should agree with the subject in gender and number (e.g., lastu for 'I'). Sentence-initial ليس فقط also occurs in modern prose with broad scope over a following clause. Do not let that usage obscure the ordinary agreement and predicate-case rules of ليس.

2. Parallelism:
The elements being compared should be grammatically parallel. If you follow 'not only' with a noun, you should follow 'but also' with a noun or a corresponding clause.

3. Case Agreement:
A common misconception is that both linked items must be in the accusative case (mansub). In reality, the case is determined by the noun's specific role. A noun is only accusative if it functions as the predicate (khabar) of ليس. If the nouns are the subjects (mubtada') of the clauses, they remain in the nominative case (marfu').

4. Placement of Aydan:
The word أيضاً (also) can appear at the end of the second clause, or it can appear immediately after بل to form the phrase بل أيضاً, which is very common in modern journalism.

5. Formal Alternative:
In highly formal contexts, you may see فحسب (fahasbu) used instead of فقط (faqat). The construction لا ... فحسب ... بل ... أيضاً is a traditional alternative preferred by some stylists.

An Alternative Connector
Modern formal prose also uses وإنما in this additive pattern: هو ليس أستاذاً فقط، وإنما هو كاتبٌ أيضاً. The phrase not only limits the first claim; the following clause adds the second. Keep فقط or another limiter so the construction is not mistaken for simple rejection of the first description.

Further Connections

  • كان وأخواتها: Laysa belongs to this group of verbs that change the case of their predicates.
  • المنصوب: The grammatical case required for the predicates following laysa in this construction.

Examples (4)

  1. ليس الأستاذُ فقط غائباً، بل الطالبُ أيضاً.

    Not only is the professor absent, but the student is too.

    Word by Word: Not only the professor absent but the student also.

    الأستاذُ is the nominative subject of ليس; غائباً is its accusative predicate. الطالبُ starts the second, elliptical clause, with غائبٌ understood.

  2. هو ليس أستاذاً فقط، بل هو كاتبٌ أيضاً.

    He is not only a professor, but he is also a writer.

    Word by Word: Not only he a professor but he a writer also.

    أستاذاً is the accusative predicate of ليس. The explicit new clause هو كاتبٌ has a nominative predicate كاتبٌ.

  3. هذه الخطة ليست مكلفةً فقط، بل هي مستحيلةٌ أيضاً.

    This plan is not only expensive but also impossible.

    Word by Word: This the plan is not only expensive but impossible also.

    مكلفةً is the predicate of ليست; the explicit subject هي starts a new nominal clause, whose predicate مستحيلةٌ is nominative.

  4. لا يحبُّ اللغةَ الطلابُ فقط، بل المعلمون أيضاً.

    Not only do the students love the language, but the teachers do as well.

    Word by Word: Not only the students love the language but the teachers also.

    لا negates limiting the love of language to the students. الطلابُ is the subject of يحبّ; the teachers are then added as another group who love it.

Common Mistakes

  • Assuming both nouns must always be in the accusative case.

    ليس الأستاذَ فقط غائباً، بل الطالبَ أيضاً.
    ليس الأستاذُ فقط غائباً، بل الطالبُ أيضاً.

    The case depends on the noun's role. If the noun is the subject of the sentence, it must be nominative (marfu'), not accusative.

  • Giving a new nominal clause the accusative predicate of ليس.

    هو ليس أستاذاً فقط، بل هو كاتباً أيضاً.
    هو ليس أستاذاً فقط، بل هو كاتبٌ أيضاً.

    The second هو starts a new nominal clause. Its predicate is كاتبٌ. أيضاً may stand after بل or later in that clause without changing this case rule.

How It Connects

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

ليس فقط ... بل أيضاًLevel 4Not Only but Also

Learn This First

To understand 'ليس فقط ... بل أيضاً' (Not only... but also), you need to be familiar with the negative particle 'ليس', the additive particle 'أيضاً', and the transition particle 'بل' which introduces a correction or addition.

Words in This Pattern

ليسفقطبلأيضا