ne samo … nego i

Not Only but Also

Level 5

This paired construction means “not only… but also.” It includes both alternatives rather than cancelling the first one.

How It Works

Keep the two coordinated parts parallel: ne samo knjige nego i časopise, or ne samo da čita nego i piše. The placement of the pair shows which parts are being added together.

In a straightforward additive construction, a comma is not normally placed before nego. The pattern can also use već i. Both are different from a corrective contrast that rejects one alternative.

If the first clause contains a genuine negation and the second reverses its evaluation, the relationship may be contrastive and punctuation can change. Identify whether both statements are being included or the second is correcting the first.

Examples (3)

  1. Petra govori ne samo hrvatski nego i talijanski.

    Petra speaks not only Croatian but also Italian.

  2. Na izlet su došli ne samo učenici nego i roditelji.

    Not only pupils but also parents came on the outing.

  3. On ne samo da kuha nego i pere posuđe.

    He not only cooks but also washes the dishes.

How It Connects

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

ne samo … nego iLevel 5Not Only but Also

Learn This First

Parallel coordination adds an emphasized second alternative to the first.

Words in This Pattern