Breakdown of Der Schimpanse ist nicht nur stark, sondern auch weitaus sozialer.
sein
to be
stark
strong
nicht nur ..., sondern auch
not only ... but also
weitaus
much (by far, with comparatives)
der Schimpanse
the chimpanzee
sozial
social
Questions & Answers about Der Schimpanse ist nicht nur stark, sondern auch weitaus sozialer.
Why do we use weitaus here instead of just saying viel sozialer?
Both weitaus and viel can be used to intensify a comparative adjective, meaning 'much' or 'by far'. However, weitaus sounds slightly more elevated and adds a stronger emphasis. It is an excellent degree adverb to use at the B2 level to make your written and spoken German sound more sophisticated.
Could I use sehr to intensify the comparative, like sehr sozialer?
No, this is a common trap. Just like in English, where you wouldn't say 'very more social', you cannot use sehr directly with a comparative in German. You must use a degree adverb like weitaus, wesentlich, or viel. You can only use sehr with the base form of the adjective (for example, sehr sozial).
Why is sondern used here instead of aber for the word 'but'?
The phrase nicht nur ..., sondern auch ... is a fixed two-part connector meaning 'not only ..., but also ...'. Whenever you are correcting, contradicting, or directly expanding on a negative statement (like one containing nicht or kein), German requires sondern instead of aber.
If the sentence changed to 'I see the chimpanzee', how would der Schimpanse change?
Der Schimpanse belongs to a group of masculine nouns that take an -n or -en ending in all cases except the nominative (often called N-declension or weak masculine nouns). If it were the direct object in the accusative case, it would become den Schimpansen (for example, Ich sehe den Schimpansen).
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