не ... туку

Not This but That

Level 3Sounds Like ne ... tuku

Deny one thing with не, then give the right one with туку: Не е студент, туку професор. (He is not a student but a professor.)

How It Works

Use не ... туку when you reject one idea and put the correct one in its place:

  • Не е студент, туку професор. (He is not a student but a professor.)
  • Не одам во Скопје, туку во Битола. (I am not going to Skopje but to Bitola.)
  • Состанокот не е во понеделник, туку во вторник. (The meeting is not on Monday but on Tuesday.)

The second part often leaves out the verb, because it is the same as in the first part.

Туку or но? Both can translate as but. Туку replaces something that was denied. Но adds a contrast while both parts remain true: Тој е студент, но работи. (He is a student, but he works.)

Other patterns: the same idea can be said with а не: Одам во Битола, а не во Скопје. Туку also appears in не само ... туку и (not only ... but also).

Punctuation: put a comma before туку (see запирка пред а; но; туку).

Examples (6)

  1. Не е студент, туку професор.

    He is not a student but a professor.

    Word by Word: Not is student, but professor.

  2. Не одам во Скопје, туку во Битола.

    I am not going to Skopje but to Bitola.

    Word by Word: Not I-go to Skopje, but to Bitola.

  3. Не го купив, туку ми го подари сестра ми.

    I did not buy it; my sister gave it to me as a present.

    Word by Word: Not it I-bought, but to-me it gifted sister my.

  4. Состанокот не е во понеделник, туку во вторник.

    The meeting is not on Monday but on Tuesday.

    Word by Word: Meeting-the not is on Monday, but on Tuesday.

  5. Не сакам да те казнам, туку да ти помогнам.

    I do not want to punish you, but to help you.

    Word by Word: Not I-want to you I-punish, but to to-you I-help.

  6. Тоа не е проблем, туку можност.

    That is not a problem but an opportunity.

    Word by Word: That not is problem, but opportunity.

Common Mistakes

  • Using но to replace a denied idea.

    Не е студент, но професор.
    Не е студент, туку професор.

    When the second part corrects the first, the word is туку. Но would need a second true statement, as in Не е студент, но многу чита.

  • Using туку when nothing has been denied.

    Тој е студент, туку работи.
    Тој е студент, но работи.

    Туку replaces a denied idea. Here both facts are true, so the contrast word is но.

How It Connects

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

не ... тукуLevel 3Not This but That

Learn This First

Not this but that combines но and не.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern