The Conjunction sondern (but rather)
When you want to correct a misconception by saying "not this, but rather that," use the coordinating conjunction sondern.
You can only use sondern after a negative statement. This means the first part of the sentence must contain a negative word like nicht (not) or kein (no / not a).
| The chicken is not a vegetable, but rather meat. | Das Hähnchen ist kein Gemüse, sondern Fleisch. |
| The meal is not vegan, but rather vegetarian. | Die Mahlzeit ist nicht vegan, sondern vegetarisch. |
Notice that if the subject and the verb are exactly the same in both halves of the thought, you do not need to repeat them after sondern. You can simply contrast the specific details, such as the direct objects or adjectives.
| We are not eating the chicken, but rather the rice. | Wir essen nicht das Hähnchen, sondern den Reis. |
| It is not a potato, but rather a nut. | Es ist keine Kartoffel, sondern eine Nuss. |
Contrasting Prepositional Phrases
You can also use sondern to contrast prepositional phrases. Let's look at the verb verzichten auf, which means "to give up" or "to go without" something.
| to give up | verzichten auf |
When correcting what someone is giving up, or how they are doing something, you should include the preposition again after sondern for clarity.
| The student does not give up noodles, but rather bread. | Der Student verzichtet nicht auf Nudeln, sondern auf Brot. |
| We do not eat the rice with the spoon, but rather with the fork. | Wir essen den Reis nicht mit dem Löffel, sondern mit der Gabel. |
Connecting Full Clauses
Sometimes the contrasting truth requires an entirely different action. In these cases, sondern connects two complete clauses. Because it is a coordinating conjunction (just like und or aber), it does not change the word order of the clause that follows it—the subject still comes first, followed by the conjugated verb.
| She does not eat the vegetable raw, but rather she cooks it. | Sie isst das Gemüse nicht roh, sondern sie kocht es. |
