Breakdown of Я не только не взял зонт, но и забыл шарф дома.
я
I
дома
at home
взять
to take
забыть
to forget
Questions & Answers about Я не только не взял зонт, но и забыл шарф дома.
Why are there two не in Я не только не взял зонт, но и забыл шарф дома?
Because they do two different jobs:
- the first не is part of the fixed expression не только ... но и ... = not only ... but also ...
- the second не directly negates the verb взял = did not take
So не только не взял literally means not only did not take.
This is completely normal in Russian. It is not a “double negative” in the English sense; it is just the combination of:
- the structure не только
- plus a negative verb не взял
How does не только ... но и ... work in this sentence?
Не только ... но и ... is a very common paired construction meaning not only ... but also ....
In this sentence, it links two actions:
- не взял зонт = didn’t take an umbrella
- забыл шарф дома = forgot/left the scarf at home
So the overall structure is:
- Я не только не взял зонт, но и забыл шарф дома.
- I not only didn’t take an umbrella, but also forgot my scarf at home.
Russian often uses this structure very much like English, but the negation stays exactly where it belongs:
- не только не взял
- но и забыл