From the very first moment of encountering German, we come across the conjunctions aber and sondern. Both of these conjunctions carry the meaning of "but," expressing contrast, restriction, or something unexpected. So what are the similarities and differences between these two conjunctions?
From the very first moment of contact with German, we all encounter the conjunctions aber and sondern. Both of these conjunctions carry the meaning of "but," expressing contrast, limitation, or something unexpected. So what are the similarities and differences between these two conjunctions? Let's find out together.
aber | sondern | |
Similarities | - Both are used to connect two main clauses (Hauptsatz) and both occupy position 0 in the sentence. Both conjunctions are placed after a comma. Example: Wir haben eine kleine Wohnung, aber wir wollen ein großes Haus mit Balkon und Garten kaufen. (We have a small apartment, but we want to buy a large house with a balcony and garden.) Der Junge spielt nicht mit Puppen, sondern er malt Bilder. (The boy does not play with dolls; he draws pictures.) - When the subject and verb are the same in both clauses, they can be omitted in the second clause with aber and sondern: Das Haus ist sehr schön, aber es ist sehr teuer. → Das Haus ist sehr schön, aber sehr teuer. (The house is very beautiful, but it is very expensive.) Ich komme heute nicht, sondern ich komme morgen. → Ich komme heute nicht, sondern morgen. (I will not come today, but I will come tomorrow.) | |
Differences | Aber is used in all cases that express contrast, contradiction, an unwanted consequence, or when offering an alternative suggestion. Aber can be used with both affirmative and negative sentences. Das Haus ist sehr schön, aber wir kaufen es nicht. (The house is very beautiful, but we are not buying it.) Das Haus ist nicht schön, aber es ist sehr billig. (The house is not beautiful, but it is very cheap.) | Sondern is a special case of aber. The clause with sondern is used when the preceding main clause contains a negating element (kein-, nicht, nie). Er liebt nicht Anna, sondern Maria. (He does not love Anna, but he loves Maria.) - Sondern is often used together with the word "lieber": Ich möchte keinen Wein, sondern lieber ein Bier. (I don't want wine; I would rather have a beer.) |
Knowledge test
Distinguishing aber and sondern in German
- 1.
Ich möchte keinen Kaffee, ……… Tee.
- 2.
Ich habe einen Bleistift, ………...……. keinen Kugelschreiber.