Coordinating Conjunctions in Spanish
Though they are often short little words, coordinating conjunctions are some of the most important words in the Spanish language. A coordinating conjunction connects words or groups of words within a sentence. Typically, they connect similar parts of speech, such as nouns, verbs, people, or adjective clauses.
Examples:
Notice that each sentence above, the coordinating conjunction connects two similar words or clauses:
These are the most common Spanish Coordinating Conjunctions:
y [e] [and]
o [u] [and]
o...o... [either... or...]
no... ni... ni... [neither... nor...]
pero [but]
sino [but rather]
sea...sea... [either... or...]
entonces [then]
así... como... [both... and...]
Sometimes, you may use more than one of these in one sentence.
Examples:
Notes:
If y comes before a word beginning with an i or hi, it changes to e so as to not repeat the same sound.
Examples:
Similarly, if o comes before a word beginning with an o or ho, it changes to u.
Examples:
Examples:
- Necesito un lápiz o un bolígrafo. [I need a pencil or a pen.]
- Mis padres y mis abuelos viven en México. [My parents and my grandparents live in Mexico.]
- Quiero venir a la fiesta, pero no tengo un regalo. [I want to come to the party, but I don’t have a gift.]
- Haz tu tarea, entonces sal con amigos. [Do your homework, then go out with friends.]
Notice that each sentence above, the coordinating conjunction connects two similar words or clauses:
- un lápiz and un bolígrafo are both ítems.
- Mis padres and mis abuelos are both groups of people.
- Quiero venir a la fiesta and no tengo un regalo are both complete sentences.
- Haz tu tarea and sal con amigos are both commands.
These are the most common Spanish Coordinating Conjunctions:
y [e] [and]
o [u] [and]
o...o... [either... or...]
no... ni... ni... [neither... nor...]
pero [but]
sino [but rather]
sea...sea... [either... or...]
entonces [then]
así... como... [both... and...]
Sometimes, you may use more than one of these in one sentence.
Examples:
- Luisa y Julio hablan ingles o español, pero nunca hablen francés. [Luisa and Julio speak English or Spanish, but they never speak French.]
- Podemos comer frutas o verduras, pero no podemos comer ni helado ni pizza. [We can eat fruit or vegetables, but we can’t eat either ice cream nor pizza.]
Notes:
If y comes before a word beginning with an i or hi, it changes to e so as to not repeat the same sound.
Examples:
- La maestra hable francés, español, e ingles. [The teacher speaks French, Spanish, and English.]
- ¿Quieres limón e hielo en tu agua? [DO you want lemon and ice in your water?]
Similarly, if o comes before a word beginning with an o or ho, it changes to u.
Examples:
- ¿Cuál es su apellido? ¿Rodríguez u Ortega? [What is their last name? Rodriguez or Ortega?]
- Ella no me habla – no dice buenos días u hola. [She doesn’t talk to me – she doesn’t say good morning or hello.]
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