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To concede a point before making a contrasting statement, use the two-part conjunction **zwar ... aber** (admittedly ... but).

### Weighing the pros and cons

When discussing the trade-offs of something like public transport, place **zwar** in the first clause to acknowledge a fact, followed by **aber** to introduce the catch.

A comma always separates the two parts of the contrast. Notice how **zwar** typically sits right after the verb.

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### Contrasting full clauses

The word **aber** can simply introduce a contrasting adjective, or it can start an entirely new clause.

Remember that **aber** is a coordinating conjunction. This means it occupies "position 0" in the sentence and does not change the standard word order of the clause that follows it.

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### The daily commute

You can use this same structure to talk about the daily realities for a commuter (*der Pendler*) dealing with rush hour (*die Stoßzeit*).

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Admittedly ... but (zwar ... aber)

adjective

adverb

auxiliary verb

conjunction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

Definite articles and gender (der, die, das)

Indefinite articles (ein, eine)

Regular verbs and statement word order (ich -e, er -t)

The second person (du -st, Sie -en)

Yes/No questions

The verb 'to have' (habe, hast, hat)

Plural pronouns and regular verbs (wir, ihr, sie)

Plural 'to be' and 'to have' (sind, haben)

Plural nouns and the plural article (die)

Sentence negation (nicht)

Noun negation (kein, keine)

Question words (wer, was, wo, wie)

Numbers 0 to 12 (null, eins, zwei)

The accusative case (den, die, das)

Indefinite accusative articles (einen, keinen)

Direct object pronouns (mich, dich, ihn)

There is / there are (es gibt)

Vowel changes: e to i/ie (er spricht, sie liest)

Vowel changes: a to ä (er fährt)

Weather and conditions (es regnet)

First- and second-person possessives in the nominative (mein, dein, Ihr)

First- and second-person possessives in the accusative (meinen, deinen, Ihren)

Third-person and plural possessives (sein, ihr, unser, euer)

Possession with names (Annas Auto)

Demonstrative pronouns (dieser, diese, dieses)

Expressing preference (gern, lieber)

Asking about direction and origin (woher, wohin)

Expressing ability (können)

Polite requests (möchten)

Expressing intention (wollen)

Modal verbs of obligation and permission (müssen, dürfen)

Separable prefix verbs

Adverbs of frequency (immer, oft, manchmal, nie)

The Dative case and definite articles (dem, der, den)

Dative indefinite and negative articles (einem, einer, keinem)

Dative personal pronouns (mir, dir, ihm, ihr...)

Dative verbs (helfen, danken, gefallen, schmecken)

Dative prepositions (aus, bei, mit, nach...)

Accusative prepositions (für, ohne, gegen)

Two-way prepositions for location (in, an, auf...)

Informal singular imperative (mach, komm)

Plural and formal imperative (macht, machen Sie)

Coordinating conjunctions (und, oder, aber, denn)

Simple past of sein and haben (war, hatte)

The perfect tense: regular verbs (gemacht, gespielt)

Past tense: irregular verbs (ge-...-en)

The perfect tense: mixed verbs (gebracht, gekannt)

The perfect tense with sein (ist gegangen)

The perfect tense: separable verbs (eingekauft)

The perfect tense: inseparable and -ieren verbs (besucht, studiert)

Informal singular commands (mach, lern)

Numbers 13 to 20 (dreizehn to zwanzig)

Counting by tens to 100 (dreißig, vierzig)

Telling time (Uhr, halb, Viertel, vor, nach)

Numbers 21 to 99 (einundzwanzig, zweiunddreißig)

Greetings and farewells

Thank you, sorry and good wishes

Everyday replies

Numbers 100 to 1,000,000 (hundert, tausend...)

Becoming and getting (werden)

The impersonal pronoun (man)

Indefinite pronouns (jemand, niemand...)

Time sequence prepositions (vor, nach, bei)

Time span prepositions (von... bis, seit, für)

Adverbs of sequence (zuerst, dann, danach)

Two-way prepositions for direction (in, auf, an...)

Directional adverbs (hin, her)

Placement verbs (setzen, stellen, legen)

Months of the year (Januar, Februar)

The four seasons (Frühling, Sommer)

Time prepositions and indefinite pronouns (an, in, um)

Ordinal numbers 1st to 19th (am ersten)

Ordinals 20th and beyond (-ste, -sten)

Placement vs. location verbs (stellen vs. stehen)

Accusative reflexive pronouns (mich, dich, sich)

Accusative reflexive verbs (sich freuen)

Dative reflexive pronouns (mir, dir, sich)

Dative reflexive verbs (sich etwas merken)

Ordinal numbers 11th to 19th (-te)

Temporal prepositions (an, in, um)

Double objects with nouns

Double objects with pronouns

The modal verb for advice (sollen)

Simple past of modal verbs (musste, wollte...)

Simple past of common irregulars (wurde, wusste, es gab)

Adverbial connectors of consequence (deshalb, darum...)

Subordinate clauses for statements (dass)

Question	Answer
the public transport	der Nahverkehr
admittedly	zwar
The public transport is admittedly cheap, but often slow.	Der Nahverkehr ist zwar günstig, aber oft langsam.
the timetable	der Fahrplan
The timetable is admittedly good, but we have a delay.	Der Fahrplan ist zwar gut, aber wir haben Verspätung.
environmentally friendly	umweltfreundlich
The public transport is admittedly environmentally friendly, but uncomfortable.	Der Nahverkehr ist zwar umweltfreundlich, aber unbequem.
the rush hour	die Stoßzeit
overcrowded	überfüllt
During the rush hour, the trains are admittedly overcrowded, but punctual.	Während der Stoßzeit sind die Züge zwar überfüllt, aber pünktlich.
the commuter	der Pendler
The public transport is admittedly important for commuters, but exhausting.	Der Nahverkehr ist für Pendler zwar wichtig, aber anstrengend.
the seat (place to sit)	der Sitzplatz
the connection (transit, utilities)	der Anschluss
I admittedly had a seat, but I missed the connection.	Ich hatte zwar einen Sitzplatz, aber ich habe den Anschluss verpasst.
the network (infrastructure, internet)	das Netz
The network is admittedly large, but you often miss the connection.	Das Netz ist zwar groß, aber man verpasst oft den Anschluss.
After work, the commuters were admittedly tired, but happy.	Nach der Arbeit waren die Pendler zwar müde, aber glücklich.
A good network would admittedly be environmentally friendly, but expensive.	Ein gutes Netz wäre zwar umweltfreundlich, aber teuer.
The bus was admittedly overcrowded, but she had a seat.	Der Bus war zwar überfüllt, aber sie hatte einen Sitzplatz.
During the rush hour, the connection is admittedly direct, but overcrowded.	Während der Stoßzeit ist die Verbindung zwar direkt, aber überfüllt.
The schedule is admittedly good, but during rush hour the connection is often missing.	Der Fahrplan ist zwar gut, aber zur Stoßzeit fehlt oft der Anschluss.
admittedly ... but	zwar ... aber
The flat is admittedly small, but very bright.	Die Wohnung ist zwar klein, aber sehr hell.
He did call, but nobody was there.	Er hat zwar angerufen, aber niemand war da.

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