Breakdown of Aan de andere kant is de concurrent sterker.
de concurrent
the competitor
aan de andere kant
on the other hand
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Questions & Answers about Aan de andere kant is de concurrent sterker.
Why does the verb is come before the subject de concurrent?
Because the phrase aan de andere kant takes up the first position in the sentence. Dutch uses a "verb-second" (V2) rule, meaning the conjugated verb must be the second structural element. Therefore, the subject de concurrent swaps places with the verb to appear immediately after it.
Could I use daarentegen instead of aan de andere kant here?
Yes, they serve the same contrasting purpose! However, daarentegen is a single adverb rather than a full phrase. If you start the sentence with it (Daarentegen is de concurrent sterker), it keeps the same meaning and word order. Because it's an adverb, you can also place it after the verb: De concurrent is daarentegen sterker.
Does kant literally mean "hand" in this phrase?
No, kant actually means "side" or "edge" (so literally, "on the other side"). However, the full phrase aan de andere kant is the standard Dutch equivalent of the English idiom "on the other hand".
Is sterker formed the same way as English comparatives?
Yes, the base adjective is sterk (strong). Just like in English, you form the comparative by adding -er to the end, resulting in sterker (stronger).