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Frequently Used Conjunctions in Spanish (pt. 2) – Lesson 40
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(Lesson summary)
13 more connector words: pues, entonces, cuando, aunque, mientras, además, sino, para que and more, plus the difference between pero and sino.
- Pues, entonces, que, cuando
- Aunque, mientras, antes, después
- Además, no obstante, por lo demás
- Pero vs sino, and para que
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(The full lesson)
More Spanish conjunctions: part 2
In part 1 we learned 12 of the most common conjunctions: y, o, pero, porque and more. Quick reminder: conjunctions are connector words that link words and sentences together, like and, but and because in English.
Today: 13 more. Some sentences use verb forms we haven’t learned yet (like the past tense). Don’t worry about those: just focus on the connector word.
Pues: as, so
No pude ir al cine, pues estaba enfermo. I couldn’t go to the cinema, as I was ill.
Pues gives a reason, a bit like “as” or “since”. You’ll also hear it all the time at the start of a sentence as a filler, like “well…”: Pues… no sé (Well… I don’t know).
Entonces: so, then
No puedo ir contigo al museo, entonces iré otro día. I can’t go to the museum with you, so I’ll go another day.
A very popular word. Entonces means “so” (as a result) or “then”. Contigo means “with you”.
Que: than
Tienes más libros que yo. You have more books than me.
We’ve seen que a lot already: it can mean many things. In comparisons, it means than: más que (more than), menos que (less than). No tilde, because it’s not a question.
Let’s break it down: tienes (you have, from tener) + más (more) + libros (books) + que (than) + yo (I / me).
Cuando: when
Me gusta cuando tocas música. I like it when you play music.
Careful with two look-alikes: cuando (with a d) = when, and cuánto (with a t) = how much. And without a tilde, because it’s not a question: ¿cuándo? (when?) does have one.
Aunque: although, even though
Me gusta ir a correr aunque hace frío. I like to go running, even though it’s cold.
Mientras (tanto): while, in the meantime
Pero mientras tanto, nos divertimos. But in the meantime, we’re having fun.
Escucho música mientras trabajo. I listen to music while I work.
Mientras on its own usually means “while” (two things at the same time). Mientras tanto means “in the meantime”.
Antes and después: before and after
El partido empieza antes de las ocho. The game starts before eight.
El partido empieza después de las ocho. The game starts after eight.
Notice the de: before or after something is antes de and después de. On their own, antes and después mean “before” and “afterwards”: Nos vemos después (See you afterwards).
Además: besides, furthermore
Además del inglés, también hablo neerlandés y alemán. Besides English, I also speak Dutch and German.
Además de + something = “besides…”. And del? That’s de + el, melted together, just like a + el = al from the ir lesson. You can also use además on its own: Además, es barato (Furthermore, it’s cheap).
No obstante: nevertheless
Estaba lloviendo; no obstante, fuimos. It was raining; nevertheless, we went.
No obstante is a bit formal: you’ll see it more in writing. In everyday speech, people usually say sin embargo (however) from part 1, or just pero.
Por lo demás: apart from that, otherwise
El sitio no es muy bonito, pero por lo demás, la comida estaba deliciosa. The place isn’t very nice, but apart from that, the food was delicious.
Sino: but rather
No es rojo, sino azul. It’s not red, but blue.
Spanish has two words for “but”: pero and sino. Use sino after a no, when you correct something: “it’s not this, but that”. In all other cases, use pero.
Para que: so that
Hablo despacio para que me entiendas. I speak slowly so that you understand me.
Para que is used when the two parts of the sentence are about different people: I speak slowly, so that you understand. And notice entiendas instead of entiendes: that’s a special verb form (the subjunctive) that we’ll learn much later.
(Wes’s tip)
If it’s about the same person, just use para + the basic verb: Estudio mucho para aprobar el examen (I study hard so that I pass the exam / to pass the exam). Much easier!
Recap: conjunctions (part 2)
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| pues | as / so |
| entonces | so / then |
| que | than |
| cuando | when |
| aunque | although / even though |
+ 8 more words & phrases
Get all 13 words & phrases on one printable page, with examples and my tips. Free, straight to your inbox.
Get the free PDF ↓Practice: conjunctions
Fill in the right connector word. Say it out loud, then click to check.
1. Tienes más libros ___ yo. (than)
Tienes más libros que yo.
2. Me gusta ___ tocas música. (when)
Me gusta cuando tocas música.
3. Me gusta correr ___ hace frío. (even though)
Me gusta correr aunque hace frío.
4. No es rojo, ___ azul. (but rather)
No es rojo, sino azul.
5. El partido empieza ___ las ocho. (after)
El partido empieza después de las ocho.
6. No puedo ir hoy, ___ iré mañana. (so)
No puedo ir hoy, entonces iré mañana.
7. Escucho música ___ trabajo. (while)
Escucho música mientras trabajo.
Quiz: conjunctions (part 2)
10 questions. Entonces… ¡vamos!
Frequently asked questions
What’s the difference between pero and sino?
Both mean “but”. Use sino only after a negative, to replace one thing with another: No quiero té, sino café (I don’t want tea, but coffee). Everywhere else, use pero: Quiero ir, pero no puedo.
Is “pues” really that common?
Yes! Especially as a filler at the start of a sentence: Pues… sí, Pues nada. You’ll hear it constantly, especially in Spain.
Before you go to the next lesson
Conjunctions aren’t the most exciting topic, I know. But they’re used constantly in every language, and they’ll make your Spanish sound much more natural. Grab the free reference sheet below. ¡Hasta la próxima!
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