Learn how to express "not only... but..." in Spanish
No solo... sino
When we express "not only...but" in Spanish we always need "sino" (not pero). The second clause is always "adding" an idea; not contrasting or limiting, it's simply adding. That's why it's generally translated as "not only... but also" and in Spanish we often use "también" as well.
For example:
Yo no solo estudio en la universidad, sino que también tengo un trabajo los fines de semana.Not only do I study at the university but I also have a weekend job.
Me encantó la película, no solo por sus actores, sino por la historia.I loved the film, not only for its actors but [also] for the story.
Notice that sino can be followed by different structures, for example nouns, infinitives, or que with a conjugated verb.
Important:
We do not use pero in this case, this would be incorrect:
Trabajé algunos días, no solo el lunes y el martes, pero el miércoles y el viernes también.
See also Difference between pero, sino and sino que in Spanish (but)
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Examples and resources
Carmen sabe hacer muchas cosas; no solo bailar bien sino también tocar varios instrumentos.Carmen can do lots of things; not only dancing well but also playing several instruments.
Yo no solo estudio en la universidad, sino que también tengo un trabajo los fines de semana.Not only do I study at the university but I also have a weekend job.
Me encantó la película, no solo por sus actores, sino por la historia.I loved the film, not only for its actors but [also] for the story.
Comimos un montón, no solo carne y pescado, sino verduras también.We ate a lot, not just meat and fish but also vegetables too.
Ella no solo saca buenas notas sino que también es una niña muy cariñosa.Not only does she get good results but she is also a very loving girl.
