Breakdown of Ce travail minutieux demande non seulement du temps, mais aussi de la patience.
mais
but
aussi
also / too
non
no
le temps
the time
ce
this (before a noun)
de
of / from / any (in negative sentences) / about (concerning)
seulement
only
la patience
the patience
le travail
the job
demander
to ask (for) / to require / demand
minutieux
meticulous
Questions & Answers about Ce travail minutieux demande non seulement du temps, mais aussi de la patience.
Why do we need du and de la after non seulement and mais aussi?
In English, we can just say "not only time, but also patience" without any articles. French, however, almost always requires an article before a noun. Because "time" and "patience" are uncountable quantities here, you must use the partitive articles du and de la right after the conjunctions to show "some" amount of time and patience.
Could I place non seulement before the verb, like Ce travail non seulement demande...?
No, unlike in English where we can sometimes say "This work not only requires...", French strongly prefers keeping the verb directly connected to its subject. The conjunction non seulement naturally goes after the conjugated verb demande, framing the exact items being added together.
Is it common to use demander to mean "require"?
What kind of work is un travail minutieux?
Minutieux translates to "meticulous," "thorough," or "painstaking." It implies that the task requires intense focus on tiny details. You can easily see its relationship to the word "minute" when used in English to mean very small or precise.
Learn Ce travail minutieux demande non seulement du temps, mais aussi de la patience and more in French
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free