Conjunctions Defined Spanish Conjunctions Changing Y to E and O to U Omission of "that" in English Pero, Sino and Mas Simple Conjunctions

Spanish Grammar: Conjunctions

Conjunctions Defined

In English, conjunctions are joining-words. They enable you to provide a link between similar words or groups of words, such as nouns, verbs, people, etc. Such words as and, but, although, or, unless, are typical conjunctions.

There are two principal types of conjunctions, coordinate and subordinate.

A COORDINATE CONJUNCTION joins words or groups of words of equal value. The most common coordinate conjunctions are and, but, or, nor, for.

He and I are old friends.
We went but they stayed home.

A SUBORDINATE CONJUNCTION joins a dependent (subordinate) clause with an independent (main) clause. Common subordinate conjunctions are when, while, where, since, because, if, unless, until, that, whether, although, as soon as, etc.

He left because he was ill.
We waited until it stopped raining.

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Spanish Conjunctions

Spanish conjunctions provide the same function as English conunctions - that is, they enable you to provide a link between similar words or groups of words.

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Changing Y to E and O to U

The following pairs of conjunctions require special consideration:

Y and e. The conjunction e must be used instead of y before any word beginning with i or hi.

Padre e hijo entraron.
Father and son came in.

O and u. The conjunction u must be employed instead of o before any word beginning with o or ho.

Tiene siete u ocho hermanos.
He has seven or eight brothers.

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The omission OF "that" (QUE) in English

In English we frequently omit the word that when it is a conjunction. (I think that he will come, or I think he will come.) In Spanish the conjunction que must be expressed.

Creo que vendrá.
I think (that) he will come.

¿Sabe Ud. que no están casados?
Do you know (that) they are not married?

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But meaning "however": pero, sino and mas.

The Spanish conjunctions pero, sino, or mas, may all be translated by the English conjunction but (however) depending upon the manner it is used in a sentence.

Pero is used to join two independent clauses. In a sentence where the first clause is affirmative, pero means but. In a sentence where the first clause is negative, pero means but or however.

Mi padre es viejo, pero fuerte.
My father is old, but strong.

Jura que lo hará, pero no lo creo.
He swears he will do it, but I don't believe it.

Sino (but) is only used in negative sentences of contrasting statements when the verb of the first clause is understood but not repeated.

La casa no es blanca, sino gris.
The house is not white, but (on the contrary) gray.

No deseamos beber, sino comer.
We don't wish to drink, but (on the contrary) to eat.

Note: The conjunction sino que is used when the verb following but stands in contrast with the negative verb preceding it and has the same subject.

No leo sino que escribo estas cartas.
I am not reading, but (on the contrary) I am writing these letters.

No vino, sino que llamó.
He didn't come, he telephoned.

Note: Mas (without a written accent) is identical in meaning to pero, but it is archaic and mostly literary. When the accented más is used, it is an adverb meaning more.

Debía haberlo hecho, mas no pude.
I should have done it, but I was unable to.

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Table of Simple Conjunctions

a condición de que	provided
a fin de que	in order that
a medida que	to the extent that
a menos que	unless
a saber	namely
además	moreover, furthermore
antes (de) que	before
aun cuando	even when
aun si	even if
aunque	even if, although
aunque	while, although, though
cada vez que	whenever
como	as
como si	as though, as if
con tal de que	provided
con tal de que	as long as
con todo	notwithstanding
cuando	when
de acuerdo a	according to
de modo que	in such a way as
de otra manera	otherwise
debido a	because of
desde que	since
después (de) que	after
en caso (de)	in case (of)
en vista de que	seeing that
excepto	except
hasta que	till, until
mientras	while, as
mientras que	while, whereas
ni... ni	neither... nor
no obstante	nevertheless, still, yet
no sólo... sino	not only ... but
o bien	or else
o, (u)	or
para	in order to, so as to
para no	so as not to
para que	so that, in order that
para que no	lest
pero, sino	but
por consiguiente	in consequence
por eso	therefore
por lo tanto	therefore
por otra parte	moreover
por qué	why
por supuesto	of course
porque	because
pues	as, for
puesto que	seeing that
puesto que	since
salvo	except
según	according to
si	whether, if
si bien	although
si no	otherwise
si... o	whether... or
siempre que	whenever
siempre que	as long as, as often as
sin embargo	however, nevertheless, still, yet
sino	but
sino	or else
tan ... como	as...as
tan pronto como	as soon as
tan... como, tanto... como	as well as
tanto...como	both...and
visto que	whereas
y, (e)	and
ya que	since, for