Questions & Answers about او کینه ندارد، بلکه عصبانی است.
Why use بلکه here instead of the usual words for "but" like اما or ولی?
بلکه specifically means "but rather" or "on the contrary." You use it when you are correcting a negative statement (like کینه ندارد) by replacing it with the actual truth (عصبانی است). If you used اما or ولی, it would just sound like two contrasting thoughts rather than a direct correction.
For this structure to work, does the first part of the sentence have to be negative?
Yes, when using بلکه to mean "but rather" to substitute a fact, the first clause must contain a negative verb (like ندارد). The formula is always: [Negative Statement] + بلکه + [True Statement].
In English we usually say someone is "holding" a grudge. Do Iranians just use the verb "to have" (داشتن)?
Exactly. The concept is کینه داشتن (literally "to have a grudge"). Farsi frequently uses the verb داشتن for internal states or feelings where English might use more active verbs like "holding" or "carrying."
Do I need to repeat the subject pronoun او before عصبانی است?
No, you don't need to repeat it. Because the subject او (he) is already established at the start of the sentence, and the verb است (is) clearly points to a third-person singular subject, repeating او after بلکه would sound a bit unnatural and clunky.