Breakdown of Ich notiere nicht nur das Kennzeichen, sondern auch die Zeit.
ich
I
die Zeit
the time
nicht nur ..., sondern auch
not only ... but also
das Kennzeichen
the license plate
notieren
to note down
Questions & Answers about Ich notiere nicht nur das Kennzeichen, sondern auch die Zeit.
Why is sondern used here instead of aber?
In German, sondern is used instead of aber to contradict or expand on a negative statement. Here, it acts as the second half of the fixed, two-part conjunction nicht nur ..., sondern auch ... (not only..., but also...).
How does the phrase nicht nur ..., sondern auch affect word order?
In this specific sentence, it doesn't change the verb position because it is only connecting two noun phrases (the objects das Kennzeichen and die Zeit). If it were connecting two full clauses, sondern would take position 0 and not count toward the verb's placement.
Could I use aufschreiben instead of notieren?
Yes, Ich schreibe (...) auf means the same thing. However, notieren sounds slightly more official or professional, making it a great fit for contexts where you are taking down specific technical details like a license plate or exact time.
Is Kennzeichen the only word for a license plate?
No, you will also frequently hear Nummernschild. Kennzeichen (literally recognition mark) is the slightly more official term, and is often short for Autokennzeichen.
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