Word
Bilen är snabb. Däremot kostar den mycket.
Meaning
The car is fast. However, it costs a lot.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Bilen är snabb. Däremot kostar den mycket.
vara
to be
den
it (common)
mycket
much / very
bilen
the car
Questions & Answers about Bilen är snabb. Däremot kostar den mycket.
Why is the word order kostar den instead of den kostar in the second sentence?
Däremot is an adverb, not a standard conjunction like och or men. When you start a sentence with an adverb, the Swedish V2 (verb-second) rule applies. The verb kostar must take the second position, which pushes the subject den into the third position.
What is the difference between using däremot and just saying men (but)?
Men simply joins two clauses without changing the word order (for example: ...men den kostar mycket). Däremot translates to "however" or "on the other hand." It creates a stronger contrast and, because it's a conjunctive adverb, it forces the V2 word order when you put it at the start of the clause.
Can I put däremot somewhere else in the sentence?
Yes, you can! If you want to start with the subject, däremot moves to the middle of the sentence, right after the verb. You could say Den kostar däremot mycket. Both versions mean the exact same thing, but starting the sentence with däremot puts a little more emphasis on the contrast.
Just to refresh, why is the adjective snabb and not snabbt here?