The intricate craft of clockmaking requires immense precision. To describe these delicate mechanisms, we often highlight multiple impressive qualities or components at once.
Adding emphasis: "non seulement... mais aussi"
To say "not only... but also" in French, use the paired conjunction non seulement... mais aussi. This structure emphasizes that two things are true, adding extra weight to the second point.
Place these connectors directly before the matching elements you want to emphasize—often two nouns:
| The watchmaker repairs not only clocks, but also watches. | L'horloger répare non seulement les horloges, mais aussi les montres. |
| This meticulous work requires not only time, but also patience. | Ce travail minutieux demande non seulement du temps, mais aussi de la patience. |
Connecting adjectives and prepositional phrases
This conjunction is highly versatile. You can also use it to connect adjectives or prepositional phrases.
Notice in the second example below how the preposition is repeated (as des and du) after mais aussi to keep the grammar balanced.
| This spring is not only small, but also very strong. | Ce ressort est non seulement petit, mais aussi très résistant. |
| The clock's precision comes not only from the gears, but also from the pendulum. | La précision de l'horloge vient non seulement des engrenages, mais aussi du balancier. |
The meticulous work of a watchmaker
Whether an horloger is assembling the gears or cleaning the dial, this pairing perfectly captures the multi-step nature of their trade.
| The clockmaker assembles not only the gears, but also the pendulum. | L'horloger assemble non seulement les engrenages, mais aussi le balancier. |
| It is better to clean not only the dial, but also the pendulum. | Il vaut mieux nettoyer non seulement le cadran, mais aussi le balancier. |
