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To express a preference for one option over another, use the phrase *snarare än* (rather than).

### Maintaining Parallel Structure

As a coordinating conjunction, *snarare än* connects two elements of equal grammatical weight. The structure on the left side must precisely match the right side.

If comparing two actions, both verbs must be in the exact same form. Notice below how *avsluta* (cancel) and *uppgradera* (upgrade) are both in the infinitive form, as they both rely on the modal verb *ska* (will):

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### Adjectives and Prepositional Phrases

The rule of parallel structure applies to all parts of speech. If you are comparing two descriptive traits, both must be adjectives:

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When comparing objects that belong to a prepositional phrase, repeat the preposition to maintain balance. This is especially important for verbs that rely on a specific preposition, like *bry sig om* (to care about) or *klaga på* (to complain about):

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### Balancing Time Phrases

This grammatical balancing act applies to longer expressions as well. When comparing *when* something happens, ensure the prepositions of time are balanced on both sides of *snarare än*:

{{item:928607}}

{{item:928615}}

Preferences (snarare än)

adjective

adverb

conjunction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

The definite ending (barnet, hunden)

Indefinite articles and -ar verbs (en, ett)

Basic word order

Singular adjectives (stor, stort)

Plural adjectives (-a)

Sentence negation (inte)

Yes/No questions

Basic question words (vad, vem, var)

Regular Group 2 verbs (-er)

Short verbs and irregulars (har, gör)

The infinitive marker (att)

Modal verbs (kan, vill, måste, får)

Future intention (ska)

Time adverbs (imorgon, igår)

Word order inversion

Adverbs of frequency (ibland, aldrig)

Everyday things (dörren, stolen, tåget)

Definite suffix spelling changes

Plural nouns Group 1 and 2 (-or, -ar)

Plural nouns Group 3 (-er, -r)

Neuter indefinite plurals

Definite plural suffixes (-na, -a, -en)

Object pronouns (mig, dig, oss)

Reflexive pronouns (sig)

Expanded question words (när, varför)

Which and what (vilken, vilket, vilka)

Coordinating conjunctions (men, eller, för)

Prepositions of place (i, på, till, från)

Quantifiers (mycket, många)

Indefinite pronouns (någon, något, några)

First and second person possessives (min, din, vår, er)

Third person possessives (hans, hennes, dess, deras)

Reflexive possessives (sin, sitt, sina)

The genitive (-s)

Adjectives before singular nouns

Adjectives before plural nouns (-a)

Double definiteness (den, det, de)

Demonstratives (den här, det här, de här)

The imperative mood

Past tense of vara and ha (var, hade)

Possessives for names (-s)

Definite plural adjectives (de ... -a)

Genitive case for names (-s)

Numbers 1 to 10 (en, två, tre...)

Numbers 11 to 20 (elva till tjugo)

Counting by tens to 100 (trettio, fyrtio...)

Days of the week (måndag, tisdag...)

Months of the year (januari, februari...)

Ordinal numbers 1st to 10th (första, andra...)

Greetings and politeness (hej, tack, förlåt)

Particle verbs of direction (gå ut, komma in)

Simple past: Group 1 (-ade)

Simple past: Group 2a (-de)

Simple past: Group 2b (-te)

Simple past: Group 3 (-dde)

Simple past: Group 4

Present perfect: Groups 1 and 2 (har)

Present perfect: Groups 3 and 4

Past perfect (hade)

Future predictions (kommer att)

Future with present tense

The adjective small (liten, litet, små)

Demonstratives of distance (den där, det där, de där)

Negative pronouns (ingen, inget, inga)

Universal pronouns (all, allt, alla)

The generic pronoun (man, en)

Possessive generic pronoun (ens)

Reciprocal pronoun (varandra)

Qualitative pronouns (sådan, sådant, sådana)

Habitual time expressions (på)

Specific past time expressions (i)

Past time expressions (för ... sedan)

Future time expressions (om)

Location and motion adverbs (här/hit, där/dit)

Consequences (så)

Correlative conjunctions (både ... och)

Either and neither (antingen ... eller, varken ... eller)

Verbs of opinion and belief (tycker, tror, tänker)

Subordinate clauses (att, om)

Time clauses (när, innan, medan)

Clauses of cause (eftersom, därför att)

Negation in subordinate clauses (inte)

V2 word order inversion

Relative clauses as subjects (som)

Relative clauses as objects (som)

Relative clauses for places (där)

Adverbs from adjectives (-t)

Adjective comparative and superlative (-are, -ast)

Question	Answer
rather	snarare
to upgrade	uppgradera
We will cancel the subscription rather than upgrade it.	Vi ska avsluta abonnemanget snarare än uppgradera det.
ad-free	reklamfri
unlimited	obegränsad
The subscription is ad-free rather than unlimited.	Abonnemanget är reklamfritt snarare än obegränsat.
the entertainment	underhållningen
the monthly cost	månadskostnaden
She cares about the entertainment rather than about the monthly cost.	Hon bryr sig om underhållningen snarare än om månadskostnaden.
to stream	strömma
We streamed the film ad-free during the weekend rather than during the workday.	Vi strömmade filmen reklamfritt under helgen snarare än under arbetsdagen.
I had to accept the monthly cost rather than cancel the subscription.	Jag var tvungen att acceptera månadskostnaden snarare än avsluta abonnemanget.
the lock-in period	bindningstiden
the download	nedladdningen
They complain about the lock-in period rather than about the download.	De klagar på bindningstiden snarare än på nedladdningen.
I want to stream unlimitedly rather than wait for the download.	Jag vill strömma obegränsat snarare än vänta på nedladdningen.
The monthly cost is getting increasingly higher, so we want to cancel the account rather than upgrade it.	Månadskostnaden blir allt högre, så vi vill avsluta kontot snarare än uppgradera det.
the free trial period	gratisperioden
We evaluate the entertainment during the free trial period rather than after it.	Vi utvärderar underhållningen under gratisperioden snarare än efter den.
He prefers to avoid the lock-in period rather than to use the free trial period.	Han föredrar att undvika bindningstiden snarare än att använda gratisperioden.