Breakdown of Delfine sind nicht nur verspielt, sondern auch wesentlich sozialer.
sein
to be
nicht nur ..., sondern auch
not only ... but also
verspielt
playful
der Delfin
the dolphin
wesentlich
significantly
sozial
social
Questions & Answers about Delfine sind nicht nur verspielt, sondern auch wesentlich sozialer.
How does wesentlich work here with the comparative sozialer?
In this sentence, wesentlich means "significantly" or "substantially." It is an intensifying degree adverb used to make the comparative adjective sozialer (more social) much stronger. You can use it just like viel (much), but it sounds a bit more formal and precise.
Could I use other degree adverbs like weitaus instead of wesentlich in this exact sentence?
Yes! You could say weitaus sozialer or bedeutend sozialer. They all mean essentially the same thing here and are perfectly interchangeable when amplifying a comparative adjective.
Why is there a comma before sondern auch?
The phrase nicht nur ... sondern auch (not only ... but also) is a two-part conjunction. In German, you must always place a comma before the sondern part of this structure to separate the two connected elements.
Why doesn't the comparative sozialer get an umlaut?
Unlike many short, native German adjectives that take an umlaut in the comparative (like kalt becoming kälter), loan words and words ending in -al (like sozial, ideal, normal) never take an umlaut. You simply add -er.
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