Learn Polish: Jego praca polega nie tylko na analizie, ale i na twórczym pisaniu. - His work relies not only on analysis, but also on creative writing.

Jego praca polega nie tylko na analizie, ale i na twórczym pisaniu.

His work relies not only on analysis, but also on creative writing.

Breakdown of Jego praca polega nie tylko na analizie, ale i na twórczym pisaniu.

Questions & Answers about Jego praca polega nie tylko na analizie, ale i na twórczym pisaniu.

Why is the preposition na repeated after ale i?

When using correlative conjunctions like nie tylko ..., ale i ... (not only..., but also...), Polish strongly prefers a parallel structure. Since the verb polegać requires the preposition na, it sounds much more natural and correct to repeat it before both items: na analizie and na twórczym pisaniu.

Could I use ale też or ale także instead of ale i?

Absolutely. nie tylko ..., ale także ... and nie tylko ..., ale też ... are fully interchangeable with nie tylko ..., ale i .... They all function exactly the same way to mean "not only..., but also...".

Polegać na often means "to rely on" someone. Does it mean exactly the same thing here?

Not quite. While polegać na translates to "to rely on" when talking about trusting a person, when discussing tasks, jobs, or games, it is better translated as "to consist of", "to be about", or "to involve". Here, his work consists of analysis and creative writing.

What case is being used for the phrases analizie and twórczym pisaniu?