Word
Einerseits tut der Stich weh, andererseits ist der Honig lecker.
Meaning
On the one hand the sting hurts, on the other hand the honey is delicious.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Einerseits tut der Stich weh, andererseits ist der Honig lecker.
sein
to be
wehtun
to hurt
lecker
delicious
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
Questions & Answers about Einerseits tut der Stich weh, andererseits ist der Honig lecker.
Why are the verbs right after Einerseits and andererseits?
Einerseits and andererseits are adverbs, not conjunctions. When they are at the beginning of a sentence, they take up position 1. Because German requires the verb to be in position 2, the subjects (der Stich and der Honig) are pushed to position 3, right after the verbs.
Do I always have to start the clauses with Einerseits and andererseits?
No, you can start with the subjects. If you do, the verbs stay in position 2, and the adverbs usually move to position 3. For example: Der Stich tut einerseits weh, der Honig ist andererseits lecker. Putting the adverbs first, like in our sentence, just emphasizes the contrast more.
Why is weh at the very end of the first clause?
It is the separable prefix of the verb wehtun (to hurt). As you might remember from earlier lessons, the conjugated part of the verb (tut) takes the second position, and the prefix (weh) gets kicked to the very end of its clause, right before the comma.
Is the comma required between the two clauses?
Yes. You are connecting two complete main clauses here, each with its own subject and conjugated verb. In German, independent clauses connected by adverbs must always be separated by a comma.