Breakdown of Het orkest speelt niet alleen goed, maar de muziek is ook mooi.
zijn
to be
ook
also / -ever (concessive particle)
niet
not
maar
but
Questions & Answers about Het orkest speelt niet alleen goed, maar de muziek is ook mooi.
Why are maar and ook separated in the second half of the sentence?
In the Dutch structure niet alleen ... maar (ook) (not only ... but also), maar and ook usually don't sit right next to each other. Maar works as a bridge between the two sentences, while ook acts as a regular adverb inside the second sentence, landing after the verb is.
Does maar change the word order of the second clause?
No. Maar is a coordinating conjunction. This means it connects two independent main clauses without messing with their word order. So, the second clause uses the normal subject-verb order: de muziek (subject) then is (verb).
Why does niet alleen come after speelt, instead of before it like in English?
In a Dutch main clause, the conjugated verb must always take the second position. Here, the subject Het orkest is in position one, so the verb speelt takes position two. That pushes niet alleen (not only) after the verb.
Are goed and mooi both adjectives here?
Mooi (beautiful) is used as an adjective describing the music. However, goed (well) is used as an adverb describing how the orchestra plays. In Dutch, the adjective and adverb forms are often exactly the same, unlike in English (good vs. well).