En la biblioteca no solo leo libros interesantes, sino también escribo apuntes en mi cuaderno.

In the library I not only read interesting books, but I also write notes in my notebook.

Breakdown of En la biblioteca no solo leo libros interesantes, sino también escribo apuntes en mi cuaderno.

• yo: I
• el libro: the book
• en: in
• leer: to read
• mi: my
• el cuaderno: the notebook
• escribir: to write
• interesante: interesting
• la biblioteca: the library
• .: period
• el apunte: the note
• ,: comma
• no solo ..., sino también: not only ... but also

Questions & Answers about En la biblioteca no solo leo libros interesantes, sino también escribo apuntes en mi cuaderno.

Can I move en la biblioteca to another position in the sentence, or must it go at the beginning?

You can move en la biblioteca; Spanish word order is fairly flexible. All of these are correct, with slightly different emphasis:

• En la biblioteca no solo leo libros interesantes, sino también escribo apuntes en mi cuaderno.
  → Neutral; sets the place first.

• No solo leo libros interesantes en la biblioteca, sino también escribo apuntes en mi cuaderno.
  → Slightly more focus on what you do (read) in the library.

• No solo leo libros interesantes, sino también escribo apuntes en mi cuaderno en la biblioteca.
  → Emphasises that both actions happen in the library (though this sounds a bit heavier).

Starting with En la biblioteca is very natural in Spanish when you want to set the scene (place, time, etc.) first.

Does biblioteca mean library or bookstore?

In Spanish from Spain:

• la biblioteca = the library (a place where you borrow or consult books, usually public or university).
• la librería = the bookstore / bookshop (where you buy books).

So in this sentence, En la biblioteca clearly means In the library.

What exactly does no solo … sino también mean, and how is it used?

No solo … sino también … is a standard correlative structure meaning “not only … but also …”. It serves to add a second, additional idea, giving it some extra emphasis.

Pattern:

• No solo
  • element 1 + sino también
    • element 2

Examples:

• No solo estudio español, sino también francés.
  I not only study Spanish, but also French.

• No solo leo libros interesantes, sino también escribo apuntes en mi cuaderno.
  I not only read interesting books, but I also write notes in my notebook.

You can use it with verbs, nouns, adjectives, etc., as long as the structure on both sides is parallel.

Why is sino used here instead of pero?

Sino and pero both can be translated as but, but they are used in different situations:

• pero introduces a simple contrast:
  Leo libros, pero no escribo apuntes.
  I read books, but I don't write notes.

• sino is used after a negation to correct or replace what was said before, or in structures like no solo … sino también:

  • No leo novelas, sino ensayos.
    I don’t read novels, but (rather) essays.
  • No solo leo libros interesantes, sino también escribo apuntes.
    I not only read interesting books, but I also write notes.

In the given sentence, we have the fixed pattern no solo … sino también, so pero would be incorrect.

Should it be sino también escribo or sino que también escribo?

Both forms are heard in real Spanish, but there is a nuance:

• Many speakers (especially in everyday speech) say:
  No solo leo libros interesantes, sino también escribo apuntes…

• Traditional grammar recommends sino que when the second part has a full clause with a verb:
  No solo leo libros interesantes, sino que también escribo apuntes en mi cuaderno.

So:

• Your sentence is natural and fully understandable in Spain.
• For very careful or formal writing, sino que también escribo… is often preferred.

Why is it leo and escribo and not something like estoy leyendo or estoy escribiendo?

Spanish often uses the simple present (here: leo, escribo) to express habitual actions, where English might sometimes use the present continuous or just the simple present:

• En la biblioteca no solo leo libros interesantes, sino también escribo apuntes…
  → This describes what you habitually do in the library.

You would use estoy leyendo / estoy escribiendo if you want to stress what you are doing right now at this moment:

• En la biblioteca estoy leyendo un libro interesante y estoy escribiendo apuntes.
  In the library I’m reading an interesting book and I’m writing notes (right now).

Why is there no yo before leo or escribo?

In Spanish, the subject pronoun is usually omitted because the verb ending already tells you who the subject is:

• leo = I read
• escribo = I write

So Yo leo libros interesantes is grammatically correct, but in neutral Spanish you typically just say Leo libros interesantes unless:

• You need to emphasize the subject: Yo leo, no tú.
• There is potential ambiguity and you want to clarify.

In this sentence, yo is understood from leo and escribo, so it’s not needed.

Why is it libros interesantes and not interesantes libros?

In Spanish, adjectives usually come after the noun:

• libros interesantes = interesting books
• apuntes útiles = useful notes

Putting the adjective before the noun is possible, but it often:

• Sounds more literary, poetic, or emphatic.
• Can slightly change the nuance or meaning.

For interesantes libros, it would sound unusual in everyday speech and more like a stylistic or literary twist. The natural order in standard Spanish is libros interesantes.

What does apuntes mean exactly, and why is it plural?

Apuntes in Spain commonly means notes in the sense of what you write down when studying, in class, or while reading.

• apunte (singular) = a single note / jotting (less commonly used in the singular in this context)
• apuntes (plural) = notes (your written material)

Students in Spain typically say:

• Tomar apuntes = to take notes
• Repasar los apuntes = to review the notes

It’s usually used in the plural because it refers to a collection of notes, not a single isolated remark.

Why is it en mi cuaderno and not en el cuaderno or just en cuaderno?

All three forms are possible, but they mean slightly different things:

• en mi cuaderno = in my notebook
  → Clarifies whose notebook it is; this is the most natural here.

• en el cuaderno = in the notebook
  → Refers to a specific notebook already known from context; it doesn’t explicitly say it’s yours.

• en cuaderno (without article)
  → Sounds incomplete or unidiomatic in this context. In Spanish, you normally need an article or a possessive with countable nouns like cuaderno, unless it’s in certain set expressions.

So, en mi cuaderno is the natural choice to express what you do in your notebook.

Why is the preposition en used here, and does it mean in or at?

The preposition en can correspond to both in and at in English, depending on context:

• en la biblioteca can be translated as:
  • in the library (inside the building)
  • at the library (there in general)

Spanish doesn’t normally distinguish between in and at the way English does in this type of phrase; en covers both meanings. The context will tell you whether you mean physically inside or just located there.

Why is it en la biblioteca and not en una biblioteca or just en biblioteca?

The choice of article changes the nuance:

• en la biblioteca = in the library
  → Refers to a specific, known library (for example, your usual library or the one that is relevant in the context).

• en una biblioteca = in a library
  → Introduces a library for the first time, or means “some library, not a specific one”.

• en biblioteca (without article)
  → Sounds wrong in this context. In Spanish, you normally need an article with singular countable nouns like biblioteca, except in a few fixed expressions (e.g., with some professions or after certain verbs).

In everyday speech, when you talk about what you generally do in the library you go to, en la biblioteca is the natural choice.