niet alleen...maar ook

Not Only...but Also

Level 3

Use niet alleen... maar ook to link two elements (nouns, adjectives, or clauses) where the second part adds extra emphasis or surprise.

How It Works

The correlative conjunction niet alleen... maar ook (not only... but also) is a powerful tool for adding emphasis in Dutch. It can connect various grammatical units:

  • Nouns: Niet alleen de kinderen, maar ook de ouders zijn blij.
  • Adjectives: De film was niet alleen spannend, maar ook grappig.
  • Verbs/Clauses: Hij werkt niet alleen hard, maar hij studeert ook veel.

Word Order Rules:
1. Mid-sentence: If the pattern follows the main verb, the word order remains standard.
2. Sentence-initial: If you start a sentence with Niet alleen, it triggers inversion (Verb-Subject) in the first clause. Example: Niet alleen ben ik moe, maar ik heb ook honger.

Subject-Verb Agreement:
When connecting two subjects, the verb usually agrees with the closest subject (the proximity rule).
Example: Niet alleen de leraar, maar ook de leerlingen kijken... (plural verb for plural 'leerlingen').

Examples (4)

  1. Deze auto is niet alleen zuinig, maar ook erg snel.

    This car is not only fuel-efficient, but also very fast.

    Word by Word: This car is not only economical, but also very fast.

    Here, the pattern connects two adjectives describing the car, emphasizing the speed.

  2. Niet alleen de leerlingen, maar ook de leraar kijkt uit naar de vakantie.

    Not only the students, but also the teacher is looking forward to the holiday.

    Word by Word: Not only the students, but also the teacher looks out to the holiday.

    Notice the singular verb 'kijkt' because the closest subject 'de leraar' is singular.

  3. Niet alleen drink ik koffie, maar ik drink ook thee.

    Not only do I drink coffee, but I also drink tea.

    Word by Word: Not only drink I coffee, but I drink also tea.

    Starting with 'Niet alleen' causes the verb 'drink' to come before the subject 'ik'.

  4. Hij spreekt niet alleen Nederlands, maar hij woont ook al jaren in Amsterdam.

    He not only speaks Dutch, but he has also lived in Amsterdam for years.

    Word by Word: He speaks not only Dutch, but he lives also already years in Amsterdam.

    This example connects two full clauses. Note the comma before 'maar' which is common for longer phrases.

Common Mistakes

  • Forgetting inversion when starting a sentence with 'Niet alleen'.

    Niet alleen ik ben moe, maar ook hongerig.
    Niet alleen ben ik moe, maar ook hongerig.

    In Dutch, if a sentence starts with something other than the subject, the verb must come second. 'Niet alleen' triggers this inversion.

  • Incorrect subject-verb agreement with plural subjects.

    Niet alleen de leraar maar ook de leerlingen is blij.
    Niet alleen de leraar maar ook de leerlingen zijn blij.

    The verb should agree with the subject closest to it. Since 'leerlingen' is plural, the verb must be 'zijn'.

How It Connects

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

niet alleen...maar ookLevel 3Not Only...but Also

Learn This First

To understand 'niet alleen... maar ook', you need to be familiar with basic negation using 'niet' and the coordinating conjunction 'maar'. This pattern functions as a correlative conjunction that links two parallel parts of a sentence, similar to how 'en' or 'maar' connect words or phrases.

Words in This Pattern

nietalleenook