نه‌تنها ... بلکه

Not Only but Also

Level 5

Reading is true + writing is also true → نه‌تنها ... بلکه ....

How It Works

Add another action. نه‌تنها فارسی می‌خوانم، بلکه فارسی هم می‌نویسم states both reading and writing. The نه in نه‌تنها limits only, rather than changing می‌خوانم into a negative verb.

Share a clear subject. In سارا نه‌تنها معلم است، بلکه نویسنده هم هست, Sara has both roles. The second clause can leave the name understood because the referent is unchanged.

Match parallel pieces. نه‌تنها من، بلکه خواهرم هم آمد adds another person to the arrival. Place the pair around the comparable people; do not connect a person in one part to an unrelated time phrase in the other.

Compare correction. چای نخواستم، بلکه آب خواستم rejects tea and corrects it to water. The additive نه‌تنها pattern instead keeps its first assertion. بلکه has more than one use, so read the whole pairing.

Examples (4)

  1. نه‌تنها فارسی می‌خوانم، بلکه فارسی هم می‌نویسم.

    I not only read Persian but also write it.

  2. سارا نه‌تنها معلم است، بلکه نویسنده هم هست.

    Sara is not only a teacher but also a writer.

  3. نه‌تنها من، بلکه خواهرم هم آمد.

    Not only I but also my sister came.

  4. این کتاب نه‌تنها کوتاه است، بلکه روشن هم هست.

    This book is not only short but also clear.

How It Connects

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

نه‌تنها ... بلکهLevel 5Not Only but Also

Learn This First

Connect comparable phrases or clauses. Read the two affirmative activities without confusing نه‌تنها with verb negation.