Question 1

How exactly does the structure non solo ... ma anche work in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

Just like in English, non solo (not only) and ma anche (but also) are correlative conjunctions, meaning they work together in pairs to link two parallel concepts. Here, they connect two adjectives: piccoli and utili. You place non solo directly before the first adjective and ma anche directly before the second one to emphasize that the sensors have both qualities.

Question 2

Why does the adjective nuovi come before the noun sensori instead of after it?

Accepted Answer

While most descriptive adjectives in Italian go after the noun, a specific group of very common adjectives—such as nuovo (new), vecchio (old), bello (beautiful), and buono (good)—often go before the noun. Placing nuovi before sensori is the standard, natural way to describe them here.

Question 3

Why does utili end in -i? Is it masculine plural like piccoli?

Accepted Answer

Utili is plural, but it actually doesn't have a specific gender. It comes from the singular adjective utile (useful). Adjectives that end in -e in the singular are the exact same for masculine and feminine nouns. To make them plural, the -e always changes to -i. So while piccoli specifically matches the masculine plural of sensori, utili would look exactly the same even if the noun were feminine.

Question 4

Could we separate ma and anche with another word in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

Yes! While keeping ma anche together works perfectly before an adjective, Italians often insert a verb between them. You could very naturally say ...ma sono anche utili (...but they are also useful). Both versions are grammatically correct and widely used.

I nuovi sensori sono non solo piccoli, ma anche utili.

Breakdown of I nuovi sensori sono non solo piccoli, ma anche utili.

Questions & Answers about I nuovi sensori sono non solo piccoli, ma anche utili.

Learn I nuovi sensori sono non solo piccoli, ma anche utili and more in Italian