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When comparing different perspectives—like the differing views of different generations—you will often need to contrast two statements or contradict an assumption. To do this, Romanian uses specific conjunctions.

### On the Other Hand: "În schimb"

To express "on the other hand" or "by contrast", use **în schimb** (literally "in exchange").

When linking two statements, **în schimb** frequently sits right *after* the subject of the second clause, rather than at the very beginning. It is usually set off by commas.

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### On the Contrary: "Ba dimpotrivă"

When you want to completely contradict a preceding statement, use **ba dimpotrivă** (on the contrary).

Unlike *în schimb*, **ba dimpotrivă** usually comes at the very beginning of the contrasting clause. It typically follows a negative statement (often separated by a semicolon) to introduce the contradictory truth.

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Notice how the first half of each sentence sets up a negative expectation ("nu sunt", "nu își contrazice", "nu este veche") and **ba dimpotrivă** immediately flips it in the second half.

Conjunctions of contrast (în schimb, ba dimpotrivă)

adjective

adverb

adverbial phrase

auxiliary

auxiliary verb

conjunction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

The verb to be and definite articles (a fi, -ul, -le)

Feminine definite articles (-a, -ua)

Indefinite articles (un, o)

Negative sentences (nu)

Question words (ce, unde, cine)

The verb to have (a avea)

Masculine plural nouns (-i, -ii)

Feminine plural nouns (-e, -i, -le)

Neuter plural nouns (-uri, -e, -le)

Adjectives and agreement

Present tense of regular -a verbs

Present tense of -a verbs with suffix (-ez)

Present tense of regular -i and -î verbs

Present tense of -i and -î verbs with suffix (-esc / -ăsc)

Present tense of -ea and -e verbs

Reflexive pronouns (mă, te, se, ne, vă)

Accusative prepositions (în, la, pe, din, cu)

Likes and dislikes (îmi place)

Possessive adjectives (meu, tău, său)

Third-person possessives (lui, ei, lor)

Possessive articles (al, a, ai, ale)

Formal politeness (dumneavoastră)

Demonstrative adjectives (acest, acel)

Numbers 1 to 10

The number two (doi, două)

Numbers 11 to 20

Counting by tens to 100

Quantifying large numbers (de)

The subjunctive (să)

Third-person subjunctive (să)

Direct object pronouns (îl, o, îi, le)

Personal direct objects (pe)

Days of the week

Telling time (e ora...)

Months of the Year (January to June)

Months of the Year (July to December)

The Four Seasons

Weather Conditions

Rooms in a House

Basic Body Parts: Upper Body

Basic Body Parts: Limbs

Everyday Clothing

Basic Foods: Groceries

Fruits and Vegetables

Around Town

Getting Around

Setting the Table

A Colorful World

Common Animals

In the Wild

Jobs and Careers

Everyday Tech

Describing people (tânăr, bătrân, înalt)

Asking when and why (când, de ce, care)

Hello and goodbye (bună ziua, la revedere)

Coming and going (intra, sta, trece)

Where is it? (sub, lângă, între)

Knowing and thinking (știu că, cred că)

Sorry, welcome, congratulations (îmi pare rău, la mulți ani)

Introducing yourself (mă numesc, sunt din România)

How much and how many (puțin, prea, doar)

Can and may (pot merge, pot să merg)

If and whether (dacă)

At school and university

Irregular verbs in the present (vrea, lua, da, bea, sta)

Free time and sport

How much is it? (cât costă, câți, câte)

Before and after (înainte, după, până)

At the doctor (mă doare)

Meals of the day (micul dejun, prânzul, cina)

At the restaurant

Ability and permission (a putea să)

Obligation and necessity (trebuie să)

Desires and intentions (a vrea să)

Impersonal statements (se)

Adverbs of frequency (adesea, uneori)

Conjunctions for reasons and links (pentru că, deci)

Stressed accusative pronouns (pe mine, pe tine)

Indefinite pronouns (cineva, ceva)

Negative pronouns and double negation (nimeni, nimic)

The past tense auxiliary (am, ai, a)

The past tense (am, ai, a)

Regular past participles (-at, -it)

Regular past participles (-ut, -s, -t)

Negative past tense (nu am)

Question	Answer
conservative	conservator
the mentality	mentalitatea
My grandfather is conservative; I, on the other hand, have a modern mentality.	Bunicul meu este conservator; eu, în schimb, am o mentalitate modernă.
on the contrary	ba dimpotrivă
rebellious	rebel
The young people are not quiet; on the contrary, they are very rebellious.	Tinerii nu sunt liniștiți; ba dimpotrivă, sunt foarte rebeli.
the senior	vârstnicul
to disapprove	dezaproba
the vision	viziunea
The senior disapproves of our behavior; we, on the other hand, respect his vision.	Vârstnicul dezaprobă comportamentul nostru; noi, în schimb, respectăm viziunea sa.
to contradict	contrazice
the principle	principiul
Maria does not contradict her parents; on the contrary, she has the same principles.	Maria nu își contrazice părinții; ba dimpotrivă, are aceleași principii.
digital	digital
I like the physical newspaper; my sister, on the other hand, prefers the digital one.	Mie îmi place ziarul fizic; sora mea, în schimb, îl preferă pe cel digital.
The rebellious boy works a lot so that he can be financially independent.	Băiatul rebel muncește mult ca să fie independent financiar.
This vision is not old; on the contrary, it is very attractive.	Această viziune nu este veche; ba dimpotrivă, este foarte atractivă.
The boss disapproves of this idea; she, on the other hand, appreciates our new mentality.	Șefa dezaprobă această idee; ea, în schimb, apreciază mentalitatea noastră nouă.
She is not conservative; on the contrary, she accepts any modern principle.	Ea nu este conservatoare; ba dimpotrivă, acceptă orice principiu modern.
I feel like contradicting the senior, but I want to have patience.	Îmi vine să îl contrazic pe vârstnic, dar vreau să am răbdare.
The digital menu is complicated; the classic menu, on the other hand, is simple.	Meniul digital este complicat; meniul clasic, în schimb, este simplu.
Their mentality is not strange; on the contrary, it is logical.	Mentalitatea lor nu este ciudată; ba dimpotrivă, este logică.