Arguing well in German means more than stringing facts together with und and aber. A skilled speaker concedes a point to look fair-minded, then pivots to the real argument; flags a fact as true "but" qualified; or admits an obstacle and insists on the conclusion anyway. German has a dedicated toolkit for these moves, and the single most important one — the zwar…aber frame — has no clean one-word equivalent in English. This page sorts the concession-and-contrast markers by function, explains the nuance of each, and drills the word order, because the most common B2 error here is not vocabulary but syntax: most of these words are adverbs that force verb-second inversion, while one famous one (obwohl) is a subordinating conjunction that sends the verb to the end.
The headline move: zwar … aber
zwar … aber is the standard German concede-then-counter frame. You use zwar to grant a point ("admittedly, it's true that…"), then aber to introduce the counterpoint that actually carries your argument. The two words work as a correlative pair: zwar signals "I'm about to concede something," and the listener is already waiting for the aber.
There is no single English word for zwar. It maps onto "admittedly," "it's true that," "to be sure," or "sure, …" — but English most often handles the move with intonation and a bare "but," whereas German marks the concession explicitly. Crucially, the aber clause is the one you believe; the zwar clause is the throwaway you grant in order to look reasonable.
Das Auto ist zwar teuer, aber es ist sehr zuverlässig.
The car is admittedly expensive, but it's very reliable. (concede the price, push the reliability)
Ich habe zwar wenig Zeit, aber für dich nehme ich mir die.
I don't have much time, true, but for you I'll make some.
Der Film war zwar lang, aber keine Minute war langweilig.
The film was long, sure, but not a single minute was boring.
Word order: zwar normally sits in the Mittelfeld, right after the finite verb (ist zwar teuer), or it can open the clause in the Vorfeld, in which case it triggers inversion (Zwar ist das Auto teuer, aber…). The aber half is a normal coordinating clause — aber does not count as a sentence element, so the subject follows it directly with no inversion.
allerdings: the qualifying "but" with no English word
allerdings means roughly "however," "mind you," or "though" — but its special flavour is qualification. You make a positive statement, then add allerdings to attach a reservation that takes some of it back without cancelling it. It is softer than a blunt aber: where aber opposes, allerdings qualifies. English "mind you" or trailing "…though" is the closest match, and neither is a single tidy word.
Das Hotel war wirklich schön. Allerdings war es ziemlich laut.
The hotel was really nice. It was rather noisy, though. (the niceness stands; the noise is a reservation)
Ich komme gern mit. Allerdings muss ich um zehn wieder zu Hause sein.
I'd love to come along. Mind you, I have to be home by ten.
Sie ist eine hervorragende Pianistin — allerdings übt sie auch jeden Tag fünf Stunden.
She's an outstanding pianist — admittedly, she also practises five hours a day.
As a conjunctional adverb, fronted allerdings forces V2 inversion: Allerdings war es laut, not Allerdings es war laut. It can also sit mid-field with no inversion (Es war allerdings laut), where it reads as a lighter aside.
dennoch and trotzdem: "nevertheless"
dennoch and trotzdem both mean "nevertheless / even so / all the same." They are concessive adverbs: they admit a difficulty and assert the conclusion regardless. The structure is "X is the case; nevertheless Y." trotzdem is the everyday word; dennoch is a touch more formal and slightly more emphatic, common in writing and careful speech. In most contexts they are interchangeable.
Both are adverbs, so when they open the clause they trigger inversion:
Es regnete in Strömen. Trotzdem gingen wir spazieren.
It was pouring with rain. We went for a walk anyway. (fronted 'trotzdem' → inversion 'gingen wir')
Die Beweise waren erdrückend; dennoch beteuerte er seine Unschuld.
The evidence was overwhelming; nevertheless he protested his innocence.
Ich war hundemüde, bin aber trotzdem noch zur Party gegangen.
I was dead tired, but I still went to the party anyway. (here 'trotzdem' sits mid-field after 'aber', no inversion)
Note the difference from trotz (the preposition + genitive, "in spite of") and obwohl (the subordinating conjunction, below): all three share the trotz-/ob- concessive sense, but the syntax of each is completely different.
obwohl, obgleich, obschon: "although" — verb to the end
obwohl ("although") is a subordinating conjunction, and this is the single biggest word-order trap on the page. Subordinating conjunctions send the finite verb to the end of their clause. If the obwohl clause comes first, the main clause that follows begins with its finite verb (the verb-after-comma rule of German subordination).
Obwohl es regnete, gingen wir spazieren.
Although it was raining, we went for a walk. ('regnete' at the end of the obwohl-clause; main clause then starts with the verb 'gingen')
Wir gingen spazieren, obwohl es in Strömen regnete.
We went for a walk, although it was pouring. (obwohl-clause second; verb 'regnete' still goes last)
obgleich and obschon mean the same as obwohl but are more formal and somewhat literary; wenngleich ("even though") is markedly formal/written. All four are subordinating and send the verb to the end.
Der Plan wurde umgesetzt, obgleich erhebliche Bedenken bestanden.
The plan was implemented, although considerable concerns existed. (formal 'obgleich'; verb 'bestanden' final)
jedoch and the formal layer
jedoch ("however") is the formal contrast workhorse. Like allerdings, it can front the clause and invert, or sit mid-field with no inversion — the mid-field placement is a refined written option. gleichwohl ("nonetheless") and nichtsdestotrotz ("nevertheless," literally "nothing-the-less," one long word) are heavily formal concessive adverbs; freilich ("admittedly, to be sure") is somewhat literary and also regional (southern). Reserve these for essays, reports, and speeches; in casual conversation they sound stilted.
Der Entwurf ist ambitioniert; jedoch fehlt die Finanzierung.
The draft is ambitious; however, the funding is missing. (fronted 'jedoch' → inversion 'fehlt')
Die Kosten waren hoch; nichtsdestotrotz hielt die Stadt am Projekt fest.
The costs were high; nevertheless the city stuck with the project. (heavily formal concessive)
einerseits … andererseits and immerhin
The paired einerseits … andererseits ("on the one hand … on the other hand") balances two sides of an issue without strong opposition — a weighing move rather than a counterpunch. Both halves invert when fronted. immerhin ("at least, after all") concedes a silver lining: it softens a negative by pointing to a redeeming feature.
Einerseits will ich mehr verdienen, andererseits will ich weniger arbeiten.
On the one hand I want to earn more, on the other I want to work less.
Wir haben verloren — immerhin haben wir gut gespielt.
We lost — at least we played well. (concede the loss, salvage a positive)
Quick reference: word order by type
| Marker | Meaning | Type | Word order |
|---|---|---|---|
| zwar … aber | admittedly … but | correlative (adverb + coord. conj.) | zwar in Mittelfeld/Vorfeld; aber = no inversion |
| allerdings | however, mind you | conjunctional adverb | V2 inversion when fronted |
| dennoch / trotzdem | nevertheless | conjunctional adverb | V2 inversion when fronted |
| jedoch | however (formal) | conjunctional adverb | V2 fronted, or mid-field |
| gleichwohl / nichtsdestotrotz | nonetheless (formal) | conjunctional adverb | V2 inversion when fronted |
| obwohl / obgleich / obschon | although | subordinating conjunction | finite verb to the END |
| einerseits … andererseits | on the one hand … on the other | conjunctional adverbs | V2 inversion on each half |
How this differs from English
English handles concession and contrast mostly with parenthetical adverbs ("however," "nevertheless," "admittedly") set off by commas, and with the subordinator "although." None of them disturbs subject–verb order: "however, we went," "although it rained, we went." German imposes two demands English does not. First, the concede-then-counter move is lexicalised: the zwar … aber frame puts an explicit flag on the concession, where English usually relies on intonation or a bare "but." Second, word order is mood-sensitive: the adverbs (allerdings, dennoch, trotzdem, jedoch) force verb-second when fronted, while the subordinator obwohl banishes the verb to the end. English's "although," "however," and "nevertheless" feel interchangeable in placement, so learners transfer the English flatness onto German and get the syntax wrong. Finally, allerdings has no single English word — its qualifying "yes, but mind you" flavour has to be unpacked into a phrase, which is exactly why it sounds so idiomatic when used well.
Common Mistakes
Treating obwohl like an adverb (verb in second position).
❌ Obwohl es regnete, wir gingen spazieren.
Incorrect — obwohl is subordinating; the main clause must start with the verb: 'gingen wir'.
✅ Obwohl es regnete, gingen wir spazieren.
Although it was raining, we went for a walk.
Confusing obwohl (subordinator) with trotzdem (adverb).
❌ Es regnete, obwohl gingen wir spazieren.
Incorrect — 'obwohl' needs a verb-final clause; for 'nevertheless' linking two main clauses, use 'trotzdem'.
✅ Es regnete, trotzdem gingen wir spazieren.
It was raining; nevertheless we went for a walk.
Forgetting inversion after a fronted conjunctional adverb.
❌ Das Hotel war schön. Allerdings es war laut.
Incorrect — fronted 'allerdings' forces V2 inversion: 'allerdings war es laut'.
✅ Das Hotel war schön. Allerdings war es laut.
The hotel was nice. It was noisy, though.
Leaving zwar without its aber.
❌ Das Auto ist zwar teuer. Es ist sehr zuverlässig.
Off — 'zwar' opens a concession that demands a counter with 'aber'; without it the move dangles.
✅ Das Auto ist zwar teuer, aber sehr zuverlässig.
The car is admittedly expensive, but very reliable.
Using allerdings as a strong, blunt 'but' (it qualifies, not opposes).
❌ Ich wollte ins Kino, allerdings du wolltest ins Theater.
Off-register — this is a head-on opposition; use 'aber'. 'allerdings' adds a reservation, it doesn't pit two wills against each other.
✅ Ich wollte ins Kino, aber du wolltest ins Theater.
I wanted to go to the cinema, but you wanted the theatre.
Key Takeaways
- zwar … aber is the core German concede-then-counter frame; the aber half carries the real point. There is no single English word for zwar.
- allerdings qualifies ("mind you / …though") rather than opposes — its nuance has no one-word English match.
- dennoch and trotzdem ("nevertheless") are adverbs; trotzdem is everyday, dennoch a touch more formal.
- The headline word-order rule: obwohl sends the verb to the end; the adverbs (allerdings, dennoch, trotzdem, jedoch) take V2 inversion when fronted.
- Formal register adds jedoch, gleichwohl, nichtsdestotrotz; reserve these for writing and speeches.
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Start learning German→Related Topics
- Conjunctional Adverbs (deshalb, trotzdem, jedoch)B2 — The connectors that link clauses but behave as adverbs — deshalb, trotzdem, jedoch, also and the rest fill the Vorfeld and force verb inversion, unlike coordinators or subordinators.
- Concessive and Conditional ConjunctionsB1 — How German says 'although' and 'if' — obwohl sends the verb to the end, trotzdem inverts it, and German can drop wenn entirely by putting the verb first.
- Two-Part (Correlative) ConjunctionsB2 — The paired connectors — entweder...oder, weder...noch, sowohl...als auch, nicht nur...sondern auch, je...desto — and their word-order surprises, including the unique verb-final je-clause.
- Formal and Written Discourse ConnectorsC1 — The single-word connectors that structure academic and official German — sequencing (zunächst, abschließend), addition (des Weiteren, ferner), contrast (hingegen, allerdings), result (folglich, infolgedessen), and concession (gleichwohl, nichtsdestoweniger) — most triggering verb inversion.
- Argumentation and Academic DiscourseC1 — How to build a formal German argument — structuring claims with erstens/zweitens, attributing sources with laut and Konjunktiv I, qualifying with zwar...aber, concluding, and writing in the impersonal Nominalstil that German academic prose prizes.