Not Only... But Also
In Spanish, sino is a special type of "but" used to contrast a negative statement with a positive one, translating roughly to "but rather".
| but (but rather) | sino |
When talking up a travel destination, we often want to emphasize that it has multiple great qualities. You can combine no solo (not only) and sino también (but also) to connect and highlight these elements.
| The south not only offers the beach, but also the landscape. | El sur no solo ofrece la playa, sino también el paisaje. |
| The mountain not only has a beautiful forest, but also a spectacular waterfall. | La montaña no solo tiene un bosque precioso, sino también una cascada espectacular. |
Notice how this structure effortlessly links two nouns. If the first element is introduced by a preposition (like por), we usually repeat that preposition after también.
| This zone not only stands out for its heritage, but also for the old fortress. | Esta zona no solo destaca por su patrimonio, sino también por la antigua fortaleza. |
Adding Verbs: Sino que también
The rule changes slightly when the second part of your sentence introduces a new conjugated verb. Instead of just sino también, you must add que, creating the phrase sino que también.
| They not only study the fauna, but they also explore the traditional gastronomy. | No solo estudian la fauna, sino que también exploran la gastronomía tradicional. |
| The spa is not only spectacular, but it also offers quite a lot of peace. | El balneario no solo es espectacular, sino que también ofrece bastante paz. |
As a quick rule of thumb: use sino también for nouns, adjectives, and infinitives, and reserve sino que también for new clauses with conjugated verbs!
