Twins and Opposites
You can use words like völlig (completely) and verschieden (different) to describe polar opposites.
| Peter and Tom are twins, but they are completely different. | Peter und Tom sind Zwillinge, aber sie sind völlig verschieden. |
On the Other Hand: dagegen
To draw a strong contrast between two things or people, use the adverb dagegen (on the other hand / by contrast).
Because it is an adverb rather than a conjunction, it can sit comfortably in the middle of a clause. A common placement is right after the conjugated verb.
| Peter is very diligent, Tom on the other hand is extremely lazy. | Peter ist sehr fleißig, Tom ist dagegen extrem faul. |
| The chaotic twin wants to play, the diligent brother on the other hand wants to work. | Der chaotische Zwilling will spielen, der fleißige Bruder will dagegen arbeiten. |
Emphasizing the Subject
For a stronger contrast, you can attach dagegen directly after the subject of the second clause.
When you do this, the subject and dagegen group together to form a single unit occupying the first position. To maintain the verb-second (V2) rule, the conjugated verb immediately follows them.
| Peter wants to work every day, Tom on the other hand sleeps until noon. | Peter will jeden Tag arbeiten, Tom dagegen schläft bis Mittag. |
| The lazy twin is extremely untidy, Peter on the other hand is very tidy. | Der faule Zwilling ist extrem unordentlich, Peter dagegen ist sehr ordentlich. |
The Complete Opposite
To state that two things are entirely backwards from one another, use the noun das Gegenteil (the opposite).
| My twin is extremely chaotic, I on the other hand am the opposite. | Mein Zwilling ist extrem chaotisch, ich bin dagegen das Gegenteil. |
You can also use dagegen to contrast lifestyles (der Lebensstil).
| Peter's lifestyle is healthy, Tom's lifestyle on the other hand is completely chaotic. | Peters Lebensstil ist gesund, Toms Lebensstil ist dagegen völlig chaotisch. |
