Breakdown of L'horloger répare non seulement les horloges, mais aussi les montres.
mais
but
aussi
also / too
non
no
seulement
only
les
them (direct object pronoun)
réparer
to repair
la montre
the watch
l'horloger
the watchmaker (m)
l'horloge
the clock (f)
Questions & Answers about L'horloger répare non seulement les horloges, mais aussi les montres.
In English, using "not only" can sometimes change the word order (e.g., "Not only does he repair..."). Does French do this with non seulement?
Why do we need les before horloges and montres when the English translation just says "clocks" and "watches"?
In French, nouns generally cannot stand alone without an article. When referring to nouns in a general or categorical sense, you must use the definite article (le, la, or les). Additionally, when using a paired structure like non seulement... mais aussi, you must repeat the article before every noun in the list.
What is the exact difference between une horloge and une montre?
Une horloge refers to a clock—typically a larger timepiece that hangs on a wall or stands in a room. Une montre refers specifically to a watch, such as a wristwatch or a pocket watch. Even though the profession horloger shares a root with horloge, an horloger works on both.
Could I put non seulement at the very beginning of the sentence instead?
Yes, but it changes the structure of the rest of the sentence. If you start with it, you are framing two entire clauses rather than just two nouns. You would need to say: Non seulement l'horloger répare les horloges, mais il répare aussi les montres. Notice how you have to repeat the subject and verb (using the pronoun il) to balance the sentence.
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