Breakdown of Du köper inte mjölken, utan ölet.
du
you (singular)
inte
not
köpa
to buy
mjölken
the milk
utan
but rather
ölet
the beer
Questions & Answers about Du köper inte mjölken, utan ölet.
Why is utan used here instead of men for the word 'but'?
In Swedish, utan is used to mean 'but rather' or 'but instead.' You use it when you make a negative statement (like Du köper inte...) and then immediately correct it with the true alternative. If you just wanted to add a contrasting thought that doesn't replace the first one, you would use men.
Why is it ölet instead of ölen? I thought 'a beer' was en öl.
The word for beer can actually be both an ett word and an en word, depending on the context! When referring to the liquid itself generally, it is ett öl (making the definite form ölet). When ordering a specific glass or bottle of beer, Swedes often say en öl (making the definite form ölen).
Do I need to repeat the verb and say '...utan du köper ölet'?
No, you don't have to repeat the verb, and leaving it out sounds much more natural. Just like in English, because the action (köper) is exactly the same for both parts of the sentence, you can just place the contrasting noun (ölet) directly after utan.
Can I use utan meaning 'but rather' without a negative word like inte first?
No, when utan is used as a conjunction meaning 'but rather', it needs to follow a negative statement (using words like inte, aldrig, or ingen). Without a negative word to correct, you would just use men (but). Remember that utan can also mean 'without', which doesn't need a negative word.
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