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Il sistema automatico programma non solo le luci, ma anche l'allarme.

Il sistema automatico programma non solo le luci, ma anche l'allarme.
The automatic system programs not only the lights, but also the alarm.
From Lesson 280:Correlative conjunctions (non solo ... ma anche)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Il sistema automatico programma non solo le luci, ma anche l'allarme.

How do we structure "non solo ... ma anche" in this sentence?
Just like in English! You put non solo (not only) right before the first item being emphasized (le luci), and ma anche (but also) right before the second item (l'allarme). Here it links two nouns, but it works exactly the same way if you need to link two verbs or two adjectives.
Why is it il sistema automatico? Doesn't sistema end in -a?
Sistema is one of those tricky nouns of Greek origin that end in -a but are actually masculine. That is why it takes the masculine article il and the masculine adjective automatico. You might remember this same pattern with words like il problema or il tema.
Wait, isn't programma a noun meaning "program"?
It can be! But in this sentence, programma is the verb programmare (to program) conjugated in the present tense for "he/she/it". Il sistema automatico is the subject doing the action, so it translates to "The automatic system programs".
What gender is luci?
It is feminine. The singular form is la luce (the light). Nouns ending in -e can be masculine or feminine, but they always change to -i in the plural, which is why it becomes le luci here.

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