Learn Dutch: Het ritme is niet alleen snel, maar het lied ontroert me ook. - The rhythm is not only fast, but the song also moves me.

When niet alleen ... maar ook (not only ... but also) connects two full sentences with their own subjects and verbs, maar and ook are usually split. Maar (but) links the two clauses together, so it goes at the beginning. The word ook (also) acts as a normal adverb inside that second clause, so it is placed later—in this case, at the very end.

Why isn't the word order inverted after maar?

Maar is a coordinating conjunction, just like en (and), of (or), and want (because). These words act as an invisible bridge between clauses and do not count as the first position in the sentence. Because of this, the second clause keeps the standard subject-verb order: het lied (subject) followed by ontroert (verb).

What kind of "moving" does ontroert mean here?

Ontroert comes from the verb ontroeren, which means "to move" or "to touch" in a purely emotional sense. You use it when a song, a film, or a sweet gesture makes you feel deep emotion. If you wanted to talk about physically moving an object, you would use a different verb, like bewegen or verplaatsen.

Could I use mij instead of me in this sentence?