Two-Part Connectors: einerseits...andererseits
Two-Part Connectors: einerseits...andererseits
German formally weighs two sides of an idea with einerseits...andererseits ('on the one hand... on the other hand'), a structured pair distinct from the double conjunctions (sowohl...als auch, weder...noch) you already know from B1.
Grammar Comparison
Grammar Comparison
Each half is its own independent main clause, verb-second both times
Einerseits ist die Stadt teuer, andererseits gibt es viele Jobs. (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.
Unlike most of the subordinating connectors in this course, einerseits and andererseits don't create a subordinate clause at all — each one simply occupies position one of its own main clause, so the verb stays in position two right after it (ist, gibt). There's no verb-final trap to worry about here; the only thing to get right is that einerseits/andererseits themselves count as a full clause element, so the subject has to come after the verb, not before it.
Built from ein/ander- + Seite ('side') — and it has everyday synonyms
zum einen ... zum anderen; auf der einen Seite ... auf der anderen Seite
for one thing ... for another; on one side ... on the other side
einerseits is literally 'one-side-ways' and andererseits 'other-side-ways' — a fossilized fusion of Seite ('side') with an adverbial ending, which is why it looks nothing like a normal noun phrase anymore. zum einen...zum anderen and auf der einen Seite...auf der anderen Seite express the identical idea and follow the identical verb-second word order in each half; you can treat all three pairs as interchangeable ways to structure a balanced two-sided argument, useful for essays and formal discussion at this level.
Vocabulary
Vocabulary
| German | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| einerseits ... andererseits | EYE-ner-zyts ... AHN-der-er-zyts | on the one hand ... on the other hand |
| zum einen ... zum anderen | tsoom EYE-nen ... tsoom AHN-der-en | for one thing ... for another |
| auf der einen Seite ... auf der anderen Seite | owf dair EYE-nen ZY-teh ... owf dair AHN-der-en ZY-teh | on one side ... on the other side |
| Einerseits habe ich Zeit, andererseits kein Geld. | EYE-ner-zyts HAH-beh ikh tsyt, AHN-der-er-zyts kyn gelt | On the one hand I have time, on the other hand no money. |
| im Gegensatz dazu | im GAY-gen-zahts dah-TSOO | in contrast to that |
| dagegen | dah-GAY-gen | on the other hand/against that |