Breakdown of La hospitalidad no solo es excepcional, sino que también fue destacada por el cliente.
ser
to be
no
no, not
también
also
que
that / than
por
for / by / through / in/during (part of the day)
el cliente
the customer
solo
only
sino
but (rather)
destacar
to highlight
la hospitalidad
the hospitality
excepcional
exceptional
Questions & Answers about La hospitalidad no solo es excepcional, sino que también fue destacada por el cliente.
Why is there a que in sino que también?
You must add que after sino whenever the second part of the sentence contains a conjugated verb. Because the second half of this sentence introduces a new clause with the verb fue, we need sino que también. If it were just an adjective, like "not only exceptional but also fast" (no solo excepcional, sino también rápida), you would drop the que.
Can we mix present and past tenses when using no solo... sino que también?
Yes, absolutely. The first part describes a general, ongoing truth using the present tense (es excepcional), while the second part describes a specific, completed action using the preterite (fue destacada). This correlative conjunction smoothly links clauses with different tenses, which is another reason the que is required here.
Why is the past participle destacada feminine here?
This sentence uses the passive voice: fue (was) + destacada (highlighted). In the passive voice, the past participle acts like an adjective and must agree in gender and number with the subject receiving the action. Since the subject is la hospitalidad (feminine singular), the participle becomes destacada.
I know destacar means "to stand out". How does it translate to "highlighted" here?
While destacar often means "to stand out" on its own, it is also a transitive verb meaning "to highlight", "to emphasize", or "to point out". In this passive construction (fue destacada por el cliente), it means the hospitality was explicitly pointed out or emphasized by the customer.
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