This article is dedicated to beginners and lower-intermediate students. The examples here will help you use a very functional group of words in Spanish: conjunctions.

Spanish speakers use conjunctions to connect clauses, phrases, and other words. Conjunctions can be used to express and compare ideas as well. In this sense, there are different types of conjunctions according to the meaning of the sentences. However, these words are easy to use.

These are the main types of conjunctions in Spanish.

Conjunciones copulativas (y, e, ni)

These are used to add words and clauses in a sentence.

Examples:

John y Sophia son empresarios (John and Sophia are entrepreneurs).

(Yo) Quisiera tortillas, huevos revueltos y una taza de café para el desayuno (I would like tortillas, scrambled eggs, and a cup of coffee for breakfast).

Mi jefe es humilde e introvertido (My boss is humble and introverted).

Use e when the linked word starts with the letter i.

Ni tú ni tu compañero hicieron la tarea (Neither you nor your classmate did your homework).

Aprender español es un reto. Requiere motivación y muchas horas de práctica. El idioma español tiene muchas palabras diferentes, acentos interesantes y estructuras gramaticales. Sin embargo, aprender español no debería ser aburrido ni estresante. En este sentido, tomar clases de español en línea puede ser una experiencia gratificante e innovadora: (Learning Spanish is a challenge. It requires motivation and many hours of practice. The Spanish language has a lot of different words, interesting accents, and grammar structures. However, learning Spanish should not be neither boring nor stressful. In this sense, talking online Spanish lessons can be a fulfilling and innovative experience).

Conjunciones disyuntivas (o, u)

These are used to express different options in a sentence.

Examples:

Si estás nervioso o triste (If you are nervous or sad).

Me pregunto si tu decisión fue correcta o equivocada (I wonder if your decision was right or wrong).

Círculo u ovalado (circle or oval).

Use u when the linked word starts with the letter o.

Hoy dí mi primera clase de español en línea. Fue inolvidable. No sabía si mi estudiante quería que le enseñara temas de gramática o nuevo vocabulario. Por otra parte, tuve problemas con mi conexión a internet, y yo no sabía si tenía que reprogramar la clase o regresarle el dinero a mi estudiante. Finalmente, mi jefe me dijo que podía reprogramar la clase u ofrecerle a mi estudiante una clase adicional gratuita (I taught my first online Spanish lesson today. It was unforgettable. I did not know if my student wanted me to teach him grammar topics or new vocabulary. On the other hand, I had problems with my internet connection, and I did not know if I had to reschedule the lesson or give the money back to my student. Finally, my boss told me that I could reschedule the lesson or offer an extra free lesson to my student).

Conjunciones adversativas (pero, sino, aunque, mas, sin embargo)

These are used to express opposition, limitations or exceptions in a sentence.

Examples:

Puedes comer pero no demasiado (You can eat, but not too much).

Vince no lloró sino Albert (Vince didn't cry but Albert did).

(Yo) Comí pizza aunque no me gusta la comida italiana (I ate pizza, even though I don't like Italian food).

Quiero hablar español mas no sé cómo hacerlo (I want to speak Spanish, but I don't know how to do it).

Pero and mas have the same meaning (but), and they can be used in the same context.

Albert estaba triste. Él quería comer pizza pero no tenía dinero para comprarla. Sin embargo, tuvo una idea brillante. Aunque él prefería comprar pizza, decidió preparar una casera. El sabor no era el mismo mas a él le gustó. Esa fue una buena decisión. Albert no compró la pizza sino que la preparó (Albert was sad. He wanted to eat pizza but he did not have money to buy it. However, he had a brilliant idea. Even though he preferred to buy a pizza, he decided to prepare a homemade one. The taste was not the same, but he liked it. That was a good decision. Albert did not buy a pizza but he prepared it).

Conjunciones causales (porque, pues)

These are used to mention a reason or a cause in a sentence.

Examples:

(Yo) Ordenaré pizza pues estoy muy cansado para cocinar (I will order pizza, since I am too tired to cook).

(Yo) Cometo errores porque soy un ser humano (I make mistakes because I am a human being).

In Spanish, porque and por qué are different words. Por qué means “why” and porque means “because”.

¿Por qué estás tan feliz? Porque gané la lotería (Why are you so happy? Because I won the lottery).

Conjunciones consecutivas (luego)

These are used to indicate that a clause is the result of another one.

Example:

(Yo) Pienso, luego existo (I think, therefore I exist).

Conjunciones condicionales (si)

These are used to express a condition in a sentence.

Examples:

Si no estudio, reprobaré el examen (If I do not study, I will fail the test).

¿Cómo sé si mi perro está feliz? (How do I know if my dog is happy?).

Me dolerá el estómago si no desayuno (My stomach will hurt if I do not have breakfast).

Note that sino and si no are different conjunctions. Sino means “but” and si no means “if...not”.

To sum up, conjunctions are words that can be used to connect, express, and compare ideas while people are speaking or writing.

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Hero Image by Diego Torres Silvestre (CC BY 2.0)