Breakdown of Я не только не сохранила резервную копию, но и забыла сделать скриншот.
я
I
не
not
не только
not only
но и
but also
Questions & Answers about Я не только не сохранила резервную копию, но и забыла сделать скриншот.
Why are there two не in Я не только не сохранила...?
Because two different things are happening at once:
- не только ... но и ... = not only ... but also ...
- the second не directly negates the verb сохранила = did not save
So the structure is:
- не только не сохранила резервную копию
- но и забыла сделать скриншот
In natural English, this is like:
- I not only didn’t save a backup, but also forgot to take a screenshot.
So the double не is normal here, not a mistake.
How does не только ... но и ... work?
It is a fixed correlative structure meaning not only ... but also ....
Pattern:
- не только X, но и Y
In this sentence:
- X = не сохранила резервную копию
- Y = забыла сделать скриншот
It emphasizes that the speaker made two mistakes, not just one.
Without this structure, the sentence would still be understandable, but less emphatic:
- Я не сохранила резервную копию и забыла сделать скриншот.
That simply lists two actions.
Не только ... но и ... highlights the buildup: not only this, but also that.