In Swedish, the standard word for "but" is men. However, to correct a negative statement by saying that something is not one thing, "but rather" another, use the conjunction utan.
| but rather | utan |
The first part of your sentence must contain a negative word, most commonly inte (not). Place utan right before the true information.
| The skirt is not black, but rather brown. | Kjolen är inte svart, utan brun. |
| The man is not the architect, but rather the engineer. | Mannen är inte arkitekten, utan ingenjören. |
| The news about the ghost is not false, but rather true. | Nyheten om spöket är inte falsk, utan sann. |
If your correction involves a location or destination, repeat the preposition after utan to keep the sentence balanced.
| We are not traveling to Germany this weekend, but rather to Spain. | Vi reser inte till Tyskland i helgen, utan till Spanien. |
| We are not at the theater, but rather at the cinema. | Vi är inte på teatern, utan på bion. |
While usually paired with inte, utan is used after any negative statement that sets up a contrast, such as aldrig (never).
| He never takes the bus, but rather only the train. | Han tar aldrig bussen, utan bara tåget. |
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