Adversative connector 'hingegen' (on the other hand)

hingegen is a conjunctional adverb meaning on the other hand / by contrast / whereas. It marks a direct contrast between two subjects or items, weighing one against the other. It very often stands right after the contrasted subject in the middle field.

• Er arbeitet viel, sie hingegen ruht sich aus. - He works a lot; she, on the other hand, rests.
• Im Süden war es warm, im Norden hingegen regnete es. - In the south it was warm; in the north, by contrast, it rained.
• Tee mag ich gern, Kaffee hingegen trinke ich nie. - I like tea; coffee, on the other hand, I never drink.

It can also open a clause, in which case the verb follows immediately (inversion).

Common mistakes:

• Putting it before the subject when you mean to contrast that subject: the natural slot is sie hingegen ….
• Confusing it with subordinating wohingegen (verb to the end). hingegen is an adverb and keeps verb-second order.

'hingegen' (on the other hand) marks a direct contrast between two subjects.

Marks a direct contrast; often after the contrasted subject.

'hingegen' nennt einen direkten Gegensatz zwischen zwei Subjekten.