Highlighting Differences
When comparing different habits—like how different generations use technology—you will often want to contrast two ideas directly. The connector en cambio (on the other hand) is perfect for showing a simple difference or substitution between two people, situations, or points in time.
| The engineer uses a touch screen. The lawyer, on the other hand, writes on paper. | El ingeniero usa una pantalla táctil. La abogada, en cambio, escribe en papel. |
| Working at home is sedentary. In-person meetings, on the other hand, are lively. | Trabajar en casa es sedentario. Las reuniones presenciales, en cambio, son animadas. |
| Before we did not have this dependence on the mobile. Now, on the other hand, I feel isolated without it. | Antes no teníamos esta dependencia del móvil. Ahora, en cambio, me siento aislada sin él. |
Strict Opposition
For a stronger, more direct contrast, use por el contrario (on the contrary). This connector highlights that two concepts are exact opposites of each other.
| My grandson prefers to read on the internet. I, on the contrary, am very analog. | Mi nieto prefiere leer en internet. Yo, por el contrario, soy muy analógica. |
| For me it is difficult to type. For my son, on the contrary, it is very intuitive. | Para mí es difícil teclear. Para mi hijo, por el contrario, es muy intuitivo. |
Punctuation and Placement
Notice how these connectors are punctuated. They are always set off by commas. You can place them at the very beginning of the contrasting sentence, or immediately after the subject to emphasize the person or thing being contrasted.
| It is easy to handle this device. On the contrary, that machine is very complicated. | Es fácil manejar este dispositivo. Por el contrario, aquella máquina es muy complicada. |
| The grandfather handled machines well. I, on the contrary, am clumsy with technology. | El abuelo manejaba bien las máquinas. Yo, por el contrario, soy torpe con la tecnología. |
Your questions are stored by us to improve Elon.io