Learn Hardcore Turkish: Ben sadece kitap okumayı değil, aynı zamanda yazmayı da seviyorum. - I like not only reading books, but also writing.

It’s the Turkish equivalent of “not only … but also ….” The değil doesn’t negate the liking; it negates the idea of exclusivity (“not only X”). Then aynı zamanda … da adds Y as an additional, also-liked activity.

Why is değil used instead of saying sevmiyorum?

If you said sevmiyorum, you’d be saying you don’t like it at all. Here, değil negates sadece kitap okumayı (“not only reading books”) rather than the verb. So the sentence means you like both reading and writing.

Can I replace this with hem … hem de?

Yes. A very natural alternative is: Hem kitap okumayı hem de yazmayı seviyorum.

sadece … değil, … da emphasizes “not only X, but also Y.”
hem … hem (de) evenly states “both X and Y.”

Why are okumayı and yazmayı in the form with -mA + (y)I?

Turkish turns verbs into nouns with -mA (okuma “reading”, yazma “writing”). As objects of sevmek (“to like”), these verbal nouns typically take the accusative -(y)I: okumayı, yazmayı. This corresponds to English “liking reading/writing.”

Is the accusative -(y)I after -mA obligatory with sevmek?

It’s the default and safest choice. In very generic/habitual statements (especially with the aorist, e.g., severim), you may sometimes see it dropped, but learners should use -mAyı after verbs like sevmek/istemek/planlamak.

What is the buffer -y- doing in okumayı / yazmayı?

The verbal nouns end in a vowel (okuma, yazma). When adding the accusative -I, Turkish inserts a buffer -y- to prevent vowel clash: okuma + y + ı → okumayı; yazma + y + ı → yazmayı. The vowel in -I obeys harmony (here it becomes -ı).

Why is it kitap okumayı and not kitabı okumayı?

kitap is bare and indefinite, meaning “books (in general).” kitabı okumayı would mean “reading the book/that book” (a specific book). So the sentence talks about the activity of reading books in general.

What exactly does da mean here, and why is it da not de?

This da/de is the additive clitic meaning “also/too.” It’s written separately and attaches to the preceding word: yazmayı da = “writing, too.” Choose da vs de by the last vowel of the word (back vowel → da, front vowel → de). Note: unlike the locative suffix -DA, this clitic never turns into ta/te.

Does da modify the verb or the object?

It modifies the object it follows: yazmayı da = “writing as well.” So the “also” focuses on “writing,” not on the act of liking.

Is aynı zamanda required?

No. It adds emphasis/flow but can be dropped: Ben sadece kitap okumayı değil, yazmayı da seviyorum. Still perfectly natural.

Can I omit Ben?

Yes. The ending -um in seviyorum already marks 1st-person singular. Sadece kitap okumayı değil, aynı zamanda yazmayı da seviyorum is fine.

Why present continuous seviyorum and not aorist severim?

Both are possible:

seviyorum (present continuous) is common in everyday speech for current states/preferences.
severim (aorist) emphasizes general, habitual liking and can sound a bit more neutral or general.
Examples: Hem okumayı hem yazmayı severim / seviyorum.

Can I change the word order?

Keep both objects before the verb for clarity:

Standard: Ben sadece kitap okumayı değil, (aynı zamanda) yazmayı da seviyorum.
You can move Ben or aynı zamanda a bit, but don’t separate the paired items too far from each other or from seviyorum.

How do I say “I like writing rather than reading”?

Use değil de to contrast choices: Ben kitap okumayı değil de yazmayı seviyorum.

How would I say this with hoşlanmak instead of sevmek?

With hoşlanmak, the activity takes -DAn (ablative):
Sadece kitap okumaktan değil, aynı zamanda yazmaktan da hoşlanıyorum.

Can you break down the key forms?

oku-ma-y-ı = read + verbal noun (-mA) + buffer -y- + accusative (-I) → “reading (as object)”
yaz-ma-y-ı = write + verbal noun (-mA) + buffer -y- + accusative (-I) → “writing (as object)”
sev-iyor-um = like + present progressive (-yor) + 1sg (-um) → “I like / I am liking”
da (clitic) = “also/too,” written separately, chosen by vowel harmony
değil = “not,” here negating “only X” (not the verb) within the “not only … but also …” pattern