---
title: "Zowel ... als, niet alleen ... maar ook"
level: B2
chapter: "Word order"
canonical: https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/paired-conjunctions
updated: 2026-10-09
author: Dutch Fluency
license: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
---

# Zowel ... als, niet alleen ... maar ook

To say both ... and, not only ... but also, either ... or and neither ... nor, Dutch uses four word pairs: _zowel ... als_, _niet alleen ... maar ook_, _óf ... óf_ and the formal _noch ... noch_. Their grammar name is paired conjunctions: linking words that come in twos. The first word tells your listener that a second option is coming, and the second word brings it in.

## The pattern

> Each pair puts one half in front of each option: _zowel_ A _als_ B, _niet alleen_ A _maar ook_ B, _óf_ A _óf_ B, _noch_ A _noch_ B. The two options are usually the same kind of sentence part, such as two nouns, two verbs or two clauses (groups of words with their own verb).

- _zowel A als B_: both are true, with equal weight. The partner of _zowel_ is _als_, not _en_.
- _niet alleen A maar ook B_: both are true, and B is the extra or the surprise. Between clauses, _maar_ can drop out and _ook_ can move into the second clause.
- _óf A óf B_: one of the two. The accents are usual in writing: they show the stress and keep it apart from plain _of_ (or).
- _noch A noch B_: neither of the two. It sounds formal, so in conversation you will more often hear _geen tijd en ook geen zin_ than _noch tijd noch zin_.
- A pair that links words or phrases does not change the word order. The whole pair counts as one sentence part, even at the start.
- As a subject, agreement depends on the pair. With _zowel ... als_ and two singular subjects, a plural verb is the safe choice, although the singular is also possible. With _óf ... óf_ and two singular subjects, you normally use a singular verb: _Óf Fatima óf Ahmed komt morgen._ If both subjects are plural, the verb is plural too.
- _Niet alleen ... maar ook_ and _óf ... óf_ also link whole clauses. _Zowel ... als_ and _noch ... noch_ mostly link words and phrases.

## Examples

| **Zowel** Fatima **als** Ahmed werken bij de gemeente. | Both Fatima and Ahmed work for the municipality. |
| Mei heeft **zowel** gekookt **als** afgewassen. | Mei both cooked and did the dishes. |
| Priya spreekt **niet alleen** Nederlands, **maar ook** een beetje Fries. | Priya speaks not only Dutch, but also a bit of Frisian. |
| Daan komt **niet alleen** te laat, **maar** hij heeft **ook** zijn laptop thuis laten liggen. | Not only is Daan late, but he has also left his laptop at home. |
| **Niet alleen** is de huur verhoogd, **maar** de energierekening is **ook** flink gestegen. | Not only has the rent been raised, but the energy bill has also gone up a lot. |
| Het feestje is **óf** zaterdag **óf** zondag, dat hoor ik nog. | The party is either on Saturday or on Sunday, I'll find out which. |
| **Óf** je maakt online een afspraak, **óf** je belt de gemeente. | Either you make an appointment online, or you call the municipality. |
| De minister wilde het bericht **noch** bevestigen **noch** ontkennen. | The minister would neither confirm nor deny the report. |
| Ik heb **noch** de huisarts **noch** de apotheek kunnen bereiken. | I could reach neither the GP nor the pharmacy. |

## Why it works this way

Think of the first word as a signpost. When a Dutch listener hears _zowel_, they wait for _als_, just as _zo groot_ makes them wait for _als_ in _zo groot als_ (as big as). The signpost also announces what kind of second option is coming: an equal partner, an extra, an alternative or another no.

Word order gets interesting when the pairs link clauses. If _niet alleen_ on its own opens a clause, it fills the first position, so [the verb comes next](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/verb-second): _Niet alleen is de huur verhoogd_. English does something similar in "not only has the rent gone up", except that Dutch never needs an extra "do": _Niet alleen regent het_ simply means "not only does it rain".

_Óf_ is different. Like _en_ and _maar_, it takes [no position at all](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/coordinating-conjunctions), so what follows is an ordinary main clause, usually starting with the subject: _Óf je maakt online een afspraak, óf je belt de gemeente._

Finally, _noch_ already contains the "not". If you speak Spanish or French, you may be tempted to add _niet_, the way you would add "no" or "ne". In Dutch that becomes a double negative.

Remember: the first word is a promise. After _zowel_ you owe an _als_, after _óf_ or _noch_ you owe a second one, and after _niet alleen_ you owe a second part, usually with _ook_.

## Watch out

- Not: _Ik spreek beide Engels en Nederlands._ Say: _Ik spreek zowel Engels als Nederlands._ (_beide_ cannot link two options; _beide talen_ is fine)
- Not: _Je kunt zowel in de winkel en online bestellen._ Say: _Je kunt zowel in de winkel als online bestellen._ (English "and" becomes _als_ after _zowel_)
- Not: _Niet alleen het is koud, het waait ook hard._ Say: _Niet alleen is het koud, het waait ook hard._ (the verb comes straight after _niet alleen_)
- Not: _Ik heb niet noch tijd noch zin._ Say: _Ik heb noch tijd noch zin._ (_noch_ already means not)

## Quick check

1. Fill in the gap: _Je kunt zowel met je pinpas ... met je telefoon betalen._
2. Which pair fits, _zowel_ and _als_, _óf_ and _óf_, or _noch_ and _noch_? _Mei twijfelt tussen twee plekken voor haar verjaardag. Het wordt ... bij haar thuis ... in het café om de hoek._
3. Fix the word order without moving _niet alleen_: _Niet alleen het sneeuwt, het is ook glad op de fietspaden._
4. Choose _zowel_, _niet alleen_ or _noch_: _De nieuwe regels gelden ... voor huurders, maar ook voor huiseigenaren._

## Answers

1. _als_ (the partner of _zowel_ is _als_)
2. _Het wordt óf bij haar thuis óf in het café om de hoek._ (she will pick one of the two places)
3. _Niet alleen sneeuwt het, het is ook glad op de fietspaden._ (_niet alleen_ fills the first position, so the verb comes next)
4. _niet alleen_ (it matches _maar ook_ later in the sentence)

## Use it today

Send a friend or colleague a Dutch message today that offers a choice, such as _Zullen we óf vrijdag óf zaterdag afspreken?_, and add one sentence about your week with _niet alleen ... maar ook_.

## Questions learners ask

**How do you say either or in Dutch?**

Use óf ... óf, usually written with accents: Je kunt óf vandaag óf morgen komen. When it links two whole clauses, each óf is followed by an ordinary main clause: Óf je belt, óf je stuurt een mail.

**Is the verb singular or plural after zowel ... als?**

When zowel ... als joins two singular subjects, the plural is the safe choice and the singular is also possible: Zowel Sanne als Bas werken vandaag thuis. If both subjects are plural, the verb is plural too.

**Do you need niet with noch ... noch in Dutch?**

No. Noch already means not, so you say Ik heb noch tijd noch zin, not Ik heb niet noch tijd noch zin. In everyday speech, Ik heb geen tijd en ook geen zin sounds more natural.

From the Dutch Fluency Grammar: https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar. Shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.