Question 1

Why is myös separated from vaan by se on?

Accepted Answer

When linking two full clauses with ei ainoastaan ... vaan myös, the word myös doesn't have to sit right next to vaan. It usually places itself just before the new information it is highlighting. Here, vaan acts as the conjunction starting the second clause, followed by the subject and verb (se on), and then myös introduces the core new point (läpimurto).

Question 2

Why is the verb häikäise missing its final letter? Shouldn't "it dazzles" be häikäisee?

Accepted Answer

Because the phrase ei ainoastaan contains the negative verb ei, the main verb in that clause must still take its negative form. To make the negative form of häikäisee, you drop the vowel lengthening at the end, leaving you with the connegative form häikäise.

Question 3

Could I use mutta instead of vaan for "but" in this structure?

Accepted Answer

No. In Finnish, when you follow up or correct a negative statement, you must use vaan rather than mutta. Since the first clause technically starts with a negative (ei ainoastaan), the correlative pair will always use vaan.

Question 4

Since both halves of the sentence are about the masterpiece, why do we need the pronoun se in the second part?

Accepted Answer

Because the two halves use fundamentally different structures: the first relies on an active verb (häikäise), while the second introduces a state of being with a noun (läpimurto). Adding se on (it is) turns the second half into a complete, independent clause, making the transition much smoother and more balanced.

Mestariteos ei ainoastaan häikäise, vaan se on myös läpimurto.

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