Breakdown of Wir genießen nicht nur den Komfort, sondern auch die Sauberkeit.
wir
we
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
genießen
to enjoy
nicht nur ..., sondern auch
not only ... but also
der Komfort
the comfort
die Sauberkeit
the cleanliness
Questions & Answers about Wir genießen nicht nur den Komfort, sondern auch die Sauberkeit.
Why are nicht nur and sondern auch placed right before the nouns?
In this sentence, nicht nur ... sondern auch (not only ... but also) connects two direct objects: the comfort and the cleanliness. You place nicht nur right before the first item you want to emphasize, and sondern auch right before the second item. Because it is a coordinating conjunction, it doesn't change the verb position!
Is the comma before sondern auch mandatory?
Yes! In German, you must always put a comma before the word sondern. This punctuation rule applies whether sondern is used on its own (meaning "but rather") or as part of the two-part phrase sondern auch.
Why does the sentence use den Komfort instead of der Komfort?
The verb genießen (to enjoy) acts on a direct object, which requires the accusative case. Since Komfort is a masculine noun, its definite article changes from der to den. Notice that die Sauberkeit is also in the accusative case, but feminine articles don't change form.
Is there a trick to remembering the gender of Sauberkeit?
Yes! Any German noun ending in the suffix -keit (just like -heit or -ung) is always feminine and uses die. Here, the noun is built from the adjective sauber (clean) plus -keit to mean "cleanliness".
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