ne ..., o ...

Not This but That

Level 3

To say not this but that, put ne before the wrong thing and o before the right one: Gyvenu ne Kaune, o Vilniuje.

How It Works

1. The pattern. ne + wrong thing, then a comma, then o + right thing:

  • Ne aš, o jis. (Not me, but him.)
  • Gyvenu ne Kaune, o Vilniuje. (I live not in Kaunas but in Vilnius.)
  • Susitinkame ne šiandien, o rytoj. (We are meeting tomorrow, not today.)
  • Jis ne gydytojas, o mokytojas. (He is not a doctor but a teacher.)

2. Where ne goes. Ne stands right before the part being corrected, as a separate word. The verb is not negated, because the action still happens: you do live somewhere, just not in Kaunas. Compare ordinary negation of a verb, where ne- joins the verb: Negyvenu Kaune (I don't live in Kaunas).

3. Both parts match. In the examples below, the two parts have parallel roles and take the same case. Geriu ne kavą, o arbatą (I'm drinking tea, not coffee) has two accusatives. Man reikia ne kavos, o arbatos (I need tea, not coffee) has two genitives, because reikia takes the genitive. The verb is not negated, so the genitive after negation does not apply.

4. O and bet. This pattern uses o, with a comma before it. Ne ..., bet ... can also express a correction. Bet can also add an unexpected contrast. It pairs with ne tik in the set phrase ne tik ..., bet ir ... (not only ... but also ...).

Examples (6)

  1. Ne aš, o jis.

    Not me, but him.

    A short answer that corrects who did something.

  2. Gyvenu ne Kaune, o Vilniuje.

    I live not in Kaunas but in Vilnius.

    Both places are in the locative, and the verb gyvenu stays positive.

  3. Jis ne gydytojas, o mokytojas.

    He is not a doctor but a teacher.

  4. Susitinkame ne šiandien, o rytoj.

    We are meeting tomorrow, not today.

    Ne and o can correct a time as well.

  5. Geriu ne kavą, o arbatą.

    I'm drinking tea, not coffee.

    Geriu is not negated, so both drinks stay in the accusative.

  6. Tai ne mano, o sesers knyga.

    That is not my book but my sister's.

    Mano and sesers both tell whose book it is.

Common Mistakes

  • Joining ne to the place name.

    Gyvenu neKaune, o Vilniuje.
    Gyvenu ne Kaune, o Vilniuje.

    In this contrast, write ne separately before the place name.

  • Leaving a direct object in the nominative.

    Geriu ne kava, o arbatą.
    Geriu ne kavą, o arbatą.

    The direct objects here are accusative: kavą and arbatą. The separate ne does not turn kava into a subject.

  • Leaving out the comma before o.

    Ne aš o jis.
    Ne aš, o jis.

    A comma always comes before o when it joins the two parts.

How It Connects

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

ne ..., o ...Level 3Not This but That

Learn This First

Ne ..., o ... rejects one expression and replaces it with another.

Words in This Pattern

o