Breakdown of Die Wohnung ist zwar klein, aber sehr hell.
sein
to be
klein
small
sehr
very
die Wohnung
the apartment
hell
bright
zwar ... aber
admittedly ... but
Questions & Answers about Die Wohnung ist zwar klein, aber sehr hell.
How does zwar ... aber work in this sentence?
zwar ... aber translates to something like "admittedly ... but" or "it is true that ... but". Here, zwar prepares you for a contrast, admitting that the flat is small (klein), before aber introduces the positive counterpoint that it is very bright (sehr hell).
Could I put zwar at the very beginning of the sentence?
Yes, you can! You could say Zwar ist die Wohnung klein, aber sehr hell. Notice that if you put zwar in the first position, the verb ist must come second, pushing the subject die Wohnung to the third position. In our example sentence, zwar is placed after the verb, which is also very common and sounds natural.
Why doesn't the second part of the sentence have a verb, like aber sie ist sehr hell?
Because both parts of the sentence describe the same subject (die Wohnung) using the same verb (ist), you can drop them in the second half to avoid repetition. Saying ..., aber sie ist sehr hell is perfectly grammatically correct, but dropping the extra words makes the sentence sound smoother and more natural.
Do I always need a comma before aber?
Yes. In German, you must put a comma before the conjunction aber when it connects contrasting ideas or clauses, even if the second part is just a short phrase without its own subject and verb like in this sentence.
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