Learn Dutch: Enerzijds bouwen wij, anderzijds compenseren wij, of andersom. - On the one hand we build, on the other we compensate, or the other way round.

Both enerzijds and anderzijds are adverbs. When you place an adverb at the beginning of a main clause, it takes up the first position. This forces the verb into the second position, causing subject-verb inversion: enerzijds bouwen wij and anderzijds compenseren wij.

Where do the words enerzijds and anderzijds come from?

They are built from the word zijde, which means 'side'. Literally, they mean 'at the one side' and 'at the other side'. The -s at the end is an old grammatical ending that survives in modern Dutch to form adverbs, similar to the English 's' in 'sometimes' or 'besides'.

Could I use vice versa instead of andersom here?

Yes, vice versa is also commonly used in Dutch and means the exact same thing in this context. However, andersom is a very natural, native Dutch way to say 'the other way around' or 'in reverse order'.

Do I always have to put enerzijds and anderzijds at the start of the clause?

No, you can put them later in the sentence if you want to start with the subject. If you do, the word order goes back to normal: Wij bouwen enerzijds, wij compenseren anderzijds. However, placing them at the start is very common because it strongly highlights the contrast.