net nëmmen ... mee och
Not Only ... but Also
Net nëmmen ... mee och means not only ... but also: Si schwätzt net nëmme Lëtzebuergesch, mee och Portugisesch.
How It Works
1. Two words or phrases
- Hien ass net nëmme frëndlech, mee och witzeg. (He is not only friendly but also funny.)
- Mir waren net nëmmen zu Lëtzebuerg, mee och zu Tréier. (We were not only in Luxembourg but also in Trier.)
2. Two subjects
Net nëmmen d'Kanner, mee och d'Elteren hate Spaass. (Not only the children but also the parents had fun.)
3. Two clauses
Mee joins two main clauses, so the second clause keeps its normal order: Hien huet net nëmme gekacht, mee hien huet och ofgespullt. (He not only cooked, he also did the dishes.)
4. Nëmmen and the n-rule
Nëmmen keeps its n before a vowel and before d, h, n, t and z, and drops it before other consonants (n-rule): net nëmmen d'Kanner, but net nëmme Lëtzebuergesch.
5. Variants
Instead of nëmmen, people also say just: net just an der Grondschoul, mee och am Lycée. Mee is also written ma (mee and awer). The comma before mee is required.
Examples (5)
- Si schwätzt net nëmme Lëtzebuergesch, mee och Portugisesch.
She speaks not only Luxembourgish but also Portuguese.
Nëmmen becomes nëmme before the L of Lëtzebuergesch.
- Hien ass net nëmme frëndlech, mee och witzeg.
He is not only friendly but also funny.
- Mir waren net nëmmen zu Lëtzebuerg, mee och zu Tréier.
We were not only in Luxembourg but also in Trier.
Nëmmen keeps its n before z.
- Net nëmmen d'Kanner, mee och d'Elteren hate Spaass.
Not only the children but also the parents had fun.
- Hien huet net nëmme gekacht, mee hien huet och ofgespullt.
He not only cooked, he also did the dishes.
Common Mistakes
Using awer instead of mee.
Si schwätzt net nëmme Lëtzebuergesch, awer och Portugisesch.Si schwätzt net nëmme Lëtzebuergesch, mee och Portugisesch.The fixed pair is net nëmmen ... mee och. After net, only mee can mean but rather. Awer can mean but or however, but it does not form this pair.
Keeping the n of nëmmen before a consonant such as L.
Si schwätzt net nëmmen Lëtzebuergesch, mee och Portugisesch.Si schwätzt net nëmme Lëtzebuergesch, mee och Portugisesch.By the n-rule, nëmmen loses its n before L. It keeps it only before a vowel or d, h, n, t and z.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Before Not Only ... But Also, learn But and However: Mee and Awer.
Related Patterns
- oder / meeOr and but: Oder and Mee
Mee joins two main clauses and needs a comma before it.
Level 1 - The N-Rule (Eifeler Regel)
Nëmmen often becomes nëmme by the n-rule.
Level 1 - souwuel ... wéi ochBoth ... and: Souwuel ... Wéi Och
Souwuel ... wéi och also links two true things, without the surprise of not only.
Level 5 - weeder ... nachNeither ... nor
Weeder ... nach is the negative two-part link: neither ... nor.
Level 4
Words in This Pattern
Practice net nëmmen ... mee och in Bubblegum
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