Я хочу не только чай, но и кофе.

I want not only tea but also coffee.

Breakdown of Я хочу не только чай, но и кофе.

• я: I
• хотеть: to want
• не только: not only
• чай: the tea
• но и: but also
• кофе: the coffee

Questions & Answers about Я хочу не только чай, но и кофе.

What does the correlative structure не только ... но и ... mean in this sentence?

It means "not only ... but also ...". This construction connects two items—чай (tea) and кофе (coffee)—to emphasize that both are desired, not just one.

Why are there no articles before чай and кофе, unlike in English?

Russian does not use articles like a or the. Nouns appear without them, so чай and кофе are presented without additional markers, which is typical for Russian grammar.

What grammatical case are чай and кофе in, and why is that important?

Both nouns are in the accusative case because they serve as the direct objects of the verb хочу (I want). For many masculine nouns (and in this case also for кофе), the accusative form looks the same as the nominative, which helps maintain clarity and simplicity in the sentence.

Is the word order flexible in this sentence, or does the structure need to be maintained exactly as it is?

While Russian word order can often be flexible, the paired structure не только ... но и ... should remain intact to preserve clarity and the intended emphasis on both items. Changing the order might disrupt the parallel construction and confuse the meaning.

Why does the sentence use the verb хочу only once, even though there are two objects mentioned?

Russian commonly avoids unnecessary repetition when a single verb clearly applies to multiple objects. In this sentence, хочу governs both чай and кофе, so repeating it would be redundant.