Word
O dinossauro não era um monstro, mas sim um animal normal.
Meaning
The dinosaur was not a monster, but rather a normal animal.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of O dinossauro não era um monstro, mas sim um animal normal.
ser
to be
não
not / no
sim
yes
mas
but
Questions & Answers about O dinossauro não era um monstro, mas sim um animal normal.
Why do we use mas sim here instead of just mas?
When you want to correct a negative statement with a positive alternative, you use the structure não followed by mas sim. This translates to 'not X, but rather Y'. If you only used mas, it might sound like you are just adding contrasting information, whereas mas sim clearly tells the listener that the first idea is false and is being entirely replaced by the second.
Does sim literally translate to 'yes' in this sentence?
Literally sim means 'yes', but as part of the fixed phrase mas sim, it translates to 'but rather' or 'but instead'. It acts as an emphasizer, confirming that the second part of the sentence is the actual truth.
Why is the verb era used instead of foi?
We use the imperfect tense era because being an animal was a permanent, ongoing characteristic of the dinosaur. The imperfect is the standard choice for describing past states, traits, and continuous background information, whereas foi would imply a completed, isolated event.
Do we have to repeat the article um after mas sim?
While you might occasionally hear it dropped in fast speech, repeating um is highly recommended. It perfectly balances the sentence by mirroring the structure of um monstro, which makes the corrective contrast much clearer and more natural.