Connector 'wohingegen' (whereas)

wohingegen is a subordinating conjunction meaning whereas / while in a purely contrastive sense. Use it to set two facts side by side and highlight the difference between them. It is a clearer, somewhat more formal alternative to contrastive während, which can be ambiguous because während also means temporal while. With wohingegen there is no temporal reading at all - it only ever signals contrast.

As a subordinating conjunction it sends the finite verb to the end of its clause, and the clause is normally separated by a comma.

• Sie ist fleißig, wohingegen er faul ist. - She is hard-working, whereas he is lazy.
• In Deutschland isst man warm zu Mittag, wohingegen viele Briten warm zu Abend essen. - In Germany people eat a hot lunch, whereas many Britons eat a hot dinner.

Common mistakes:

• Leaving the verb in second position: write …, wohingegen er faul ist, not …, wohingegen er ist faul.
• Forgetting the comma before wohingegen.
• Using it for time. wohingegen is never temporal - use während or als for that.

'wohingegen' (whereas) introduces a clear contrast; the verb goes to the end.

Introduces a clear contrast; the verb goes to the clause end.

'wohingegen' nennt einen klaren Gegensatz; Verb am Satzende.