mitte ainult ... vaid ka
Not Only ... but Also
Ta räägib mitte ainult eesti, vaid ka soome keelt means she speaks not only Estonian but also Finnish.
How It Works
Put mitte ainult before the first part and vaid ka before the second. The second part is usually the more surprising one.
- Ta räägib mitte ainult eesti, vaid ka soome keelt.
- Mitte ainult lapsed, vaid ka täiskasvanud said kingituse.
Why vaid? Vaid is the but that comes after a part with mitte or ei, when the next part replaces it or adds to it: Ma ei käinud mitte Prahas, vaid Viinis. Aga does not fit this pattern.
Comma: always put a comma before vaid.
Same case on both sides: the two parts do the same job, so they match: kehale ... vaimule, Tallinnas ... Tartus.
The verb can also be negative: Me ei käinud mitte ainult Tallinnas, vaid ka Tartus. In formal writing, mitte üksnes ... vaid ka means the same. For a simple both ... and, use nii ... kui ka.
Examples (6)
- Ta räägib mitte ainult eesti, vaid ka soome keelt.
She speaks not only Estonian but also Finnish.
Word by Word: she speaks not only Estonian but also Finnish language
Keelt is said only once, at the end.
- Mitte ainult lapsed, vaid ka täiskasvanud said kingituse.
Not only the children but also the adults got a present.
- See restoran on mitte ainult odav, vaid ka väga hea.
This restaurant is not only cheap but also very good.
- Sport on kasulik mitte ainult kehale, vaid ka vaimule.
Exercise is good not only for the body but also for the mind.
Both parts take the same ending, -le.
- Me ei käinud mitte ainult Tallinnas, vaid ka Tartus.
We went not only to Tallinn but also to Tartu.
The verb can be negative as well.
- Ta on mitte üksnes hea õpetaja, vaid ka suurepärane muusik.
He is not only a good teacher but also an excellent musician.
Mitte üksnes is the more formal variant.
Common Mistakes
Using aga instead of vaid.
Ta räägib mitte ainult eesti, aga ka soome keelt.Ta räägib mitte ainult eesti, vaid ka soome keelt.The fixed pair is mitte ainult ... vaid ka. Aga does not fit in this pattern.
Leaving out the comma before vaid.
Mitte ainult lapsed vaid ka täiskasvanud said kingituse.Mitte ainult lapsed, vaid ka täiskasvanud said kingituse.Vaid as a conjunction always has a comma before it.
Using different cases for the two parts.
Sport on kasulik mitte ainult kehale, vaid ka vaim.Sport on kasulik mitte ainult kehale, vaid ka vaimule.Both parts do the same job in the sentence, so they take the same ending.
How It Connects
Learn This First
The pattern combines mitte ... vaid with ka.
Related Patterns
- nii ... kui kaBoth ... and
Nii ... kui ka also joins two parts, without stressing the second.
Level 3 - aga / kuid / vaidBut (Aga, Kuid, Vaid)
Vaid is the but that follows a negated part and replaces it or adds to it.
Level 2 - isegi / ainult / justEven, Only, Exactly
Ainult (only) is the word that mitte negates in this pattern.
Level 3 - ei ... egaNeither ... nor
Ei ... ega joins two negatives: neither ... nor.
Level 3
Words in This Pattern
Practice mitte ainult ... vaid ka in Bubblegum
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