ne tik ..., bet ir ...
Not Only ... but Also ...
Put ne tik before the first item and bet ir before the second: Jis moka ne tik lietuviškai, bet ir latviškai (He speaks not only Lithuanian but also Latvian). The second item is the more surprising one.
How It Works
1. Two parallel items. The pair can join almost any two matching parts of a sentence:
- Nouns: Ne tik vaikai, bet ir suaugusieji mėgsta šį filmą. (Not only children but also adults love this film.)
- Verbs: Ji ne tik dainuoja, bet ir groja gitara. (She not only sings but also plays the guitar.)
- Time words: Vilnius gražus ne tik vasarą, bet ir žiemą. (Vilnius is beautiful not only in summer but also in winter.)
2. The comma. A comma always goes before bet ir, and none after ne tik.
3. No negation. The ne here belongs to tik, not to the verb. The verb is not negated, so an accusative object does not switch to the genitive after negation: Perskaičiau ne tik knygą, bet ir visus straipsnius apie ją (I read not only the book but also all the articles about it).
4. Keep the ir. Keep ir in this clear, common version of the pattern. Compare ne ..., o ..., which replaces one thing with another: ne kava, o arbata (not coffee but tea). Ne tik ..., bet ir ... keeps the first thing and adds the second.
5. Similar pairs. Ir ..., ir ... (both ... and ...) adds two items with equal weight. Tiek ..., tiek ... is a formal version of the same idea.
Examples (5)
- Jis moka ne tik lietuviškai, bet ir latviškai.
He speaks not only Lithuanian but also Latvian.
Word by Word: He knows not only Lithuanian-ly, but also Latvian-ly.
- Ne tik vaikai, bet ir suaugusieji mėgsta šį filmą.
Not only children but also adults love this film.
- Ji ne tik dainuoja, bet ir groja gitara.
She not only sings but also plays the guitar.
Two verbs joined by the pair.
- Perskaičiau ne tik knygą, bet ir visus straipsnius apie ją.
I read not only the book but also all the articles about it.
The objects stay in the accusative because the verb is not negated.
- Vilnius gražus ne tik vasarą, bet ir žiemą.
Vilnius is beautiful not only in summer but also in winter.
Common Mistakes
Putting the objects in the genitive.
Perskaičiau ne tik knygos, bet ir straipsnio.Perskaičiau ne tik knygą, bet ir straipsnį.The ne in ne tik does not negate the verb, so the objects stay in the accusative.
Leaving out the comma before bet ir.
Jis moka ne tik lietuviškai bet ir latviškai.Jis moka ne tik lietuviškai, bet ir latviškai.A comma always goes before bet ir in this pair.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Ne tik ..., bet ir ... adds an emphasized second item without negating the verb.
Related Patterns
- ir ..., ir ...Both ... and ... with Ir
Ir ..., ir ... joins two items with equal weight.
Level 3 - ne ..., o ...Not This but That
Ne ..., o ... replaces one thing with another instead of adding.
Level 3 - tiek ..., tiek ...Formal Both ... and ... with Tiek
Tiek ..., tiek ... is a formal way to join two items.
Level 5 - Genitive After Negation
Ne tik does not itself trigger genitive of negation; each verb keeps its usual case requirements.
Level 2
Words in This Pattern
Practice ne tik ..., bet ir ... in Bubblegum
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