Two-Part Connectors: d'une part...d'autre part
Two-Part Connectors: d'une part...d'autre part
French formally weighs two sides of an argument with paired connectors — one set for balancing a contrast, another for stacking two points in the same direction — and both sets match their English equivalents almost word for word.
Grammar Comparison
Grammar Comparison
d'une part...d'autre part: formal balancing
D'une part, la ville est chère ; d'autre part, il y a beaucoup d'emplois. (On the one hand the city is expensive; on the other hand, there are many jobs)
On the one hand, the city is expensive; on the other hand, there are many jobs.
d'une part...d'autre part is the formal, essay-register way to weigh two sides of an argument — an almost exact match for English 'on the one hand...on the other hand'. d'un côté...de l'autre (côté) means the same thing but reads slightly less formal, closer to English's everyday 'on one side...on the other'.
non seulement...mais aussi: adding weight, not contrast — one of the closest grammar matches to English at this level
Non seulement il est intelligent, mais il est aussi gentil. (Not only is he smart, but he's also kind)
Not only is he smart, but he's also kind.
Unlike d'une part/d'un côté, which sets up a contrast, non seulement...mais aussi stacks two points in the same direction — it's for building up an argument, not balancing opposing ones, exactly like English 'not only...but also'. The parallel goes further: formal French sometimes inverts the verb after a fronted non seulement (non seulement est-il intelligent...), and formal English does precisely the same thing after a fronted 'not only' ('not only is he intelligent...'). Both languages treat this inversion as optional, formal polish — safe to skip in speech in either language.
Vocabulary
Vocabulary
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| d'une part...d'autre part | dun par...doh-truh par | on the one hand...on the other hand |
| d'un côté...de l'autre | dun koh-TAY...duh loh-truh | on one side...on the other |
| non seulement...mais aussi | nohn suhl-MAHN...meh oh-SEE | not only...but also |
| de plus | duh ploos | furthermore |
| en outre | ahn OO-truh | moreover (formal) |