Conjunctions: Y, O, Pero, Sino, Ni...Ni
Y (and), o (or), pero and sino (but) and ni...ni (neither...nor) link words and clauses; y becomes e before an i sound and o becomes u before an o sound.
The rule at a glance
y and · o or · pero, sino but · ni ... ni neither ... nor
y → e before an i sound · o → u before an o sound
And: y → e
y · e
e before i- / hi-
padre e hijo
father and son
Or: o → u
o · u
u before o- / ho-
siete u ocho
seven or eight
But: adding a contrast
pero
but, however
Es rico, pero no es feliz
He's rich, but he's not happy
But: correcting a negative
sino
but rather
No es rico, sino pobre
He's not rich, but (rather) poor
- Pero or sino? If you are correcting a negative ("not this, but that"), use sino; with a conjugated verb, sino que. Otherwise use pero.
- Neither ... nor: no + verb + ni ... ni: No quiero ni café ni té.
Forms
Conjunctions are the glue that holds sentences together. Coordinating conjunctions link words, phrases and clauses of equal importance, so you can add, offer alternatives, contrast and negate. (Conjunctions that make one clause depend on another, like porque and cuando, are subordinating conjunctions.)
| Conjunction | Meaning | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| y / e | and | pan y agua | bread and water |
| o / u | or | café o té | coffee or tea |
| pero | but (however) | rico pero triste | rich but sad |
| sino | but (rather) | no es rico sino pobre | he's not rich but poor |
| ni...ni | neither...nor | ni café ni té | neither coffee nor tea |
Pero or sino?
Both mean "but", and this is one of the trickiest distinctions for English speakers. Ask yourself: "Am I correcting or replacing?"
| Pero | Sino | |
|---|---|---|
| Job | Adds contrasting information | Corrects or replaces information |
| First clause | Positive or negative | Must be negative |
| Means | "however" or "yet" | "but rather" or "but instead" |
| What is true | Both parts can be true | Only the second part is true |
| Pattern | [statement 1] + pero + [contrasting statement 2] | [negative statement] + sino + [correction] |
When to use each
1. Y: and
Y connects words, phrases or clauses.
pan y mantequilla – bread and butter
tú y yo – you and I
Compré pan, queso y vino – I bought bread, cheese, and wine
Es inteligente y trabajador – He is intelligent and hardworking
2. E: and, before an i sound
When the next word starts with the sound i- or hi- (the h is silent), y becomes e. Words starting with hie- sound like "ye", so y stays: agua y hielo, cobre y hierro.
padre e hijo – father and son
francés e inglés – French and English
geografía e historia – geography and history
Madre e hija fueron de compras – Mother and daughter went shopping
3. O: or
O presents alternatives.
café o té – coffee or tea
sí o no – yes or no
¿Prefieres té o café? Do you prefer tea or coffee?
Puedes pagar con tarjeta o efectivo – You can pay with card or cash
4. U: or, before an o sound
When the next word starts with o- or ho-, o becomes u.
siete u ocho – seven or eight
mujeres u hombres – women or men
plata u oro – silver or gold
minutos u horas – minutes or hours
5. Pero: but, adding a contrast
The first part can be positive or negative, and both parts stay true.
Es rico, pero no es feliz – He's rich, but he's not happy
Quiero ir, pero no puedo – I want to go, but I cannot
No es perfecto, pero es bueno – It's not perfect, but it's good
Me gusta, pero es muy caro – I like it, but it's very expensive
6. Sino: but rather, correcting a negative
The first clause must be negative; sino introduces what is true instead. When the correction has a conjugated verb, use sino que.
No es rico, sino pobre – He's not rich, but (rather) poor
No es médico, sino abogado – He's not a doctor, but (rather) a lawyer
No vivo en Madrid, sino en Barcelona – I don't live in Madrid, but (rather) in Barcelona
sino que: No estudia, sino que trabaja – He doesn't study, but rather he works
7. Ni...ni: neither...nor
If the verb comes first, put no before it (double negation). If ni...ni comes before the verb, you don't need no.
Ni tú ni yo – Neither you nor I
No quiero ni café ni té – I don't want coffee or tea (I want neither coffee nor tea)
No tengo ni tiempo ni dinero – I have neither time nor money
Ni María ni Juan vinieron – Neither María nor Juan came
Common mistakes
Pero for "not X but Y"
Not this (incorrect): No es rico, pero pobre
But this (correct): No es rico, sino pobre – He's not rich, but (rather) poor. When the second part replaces a negative first part, "but" is sino, not pero.
Sino que with verbs
Not this (incorrect): No estudia, sino trabaja
But this (correct): No estudia, sino que trabaja – He doesn't study but rather works. When correcting with a conjugated verb, add "que". Without a verb, just sino: No es doctor sino abogado.
Don't forget no before the verb
Not this (incorrect): Quiero ni café ni té
But this (correct): No quiero ni café ni té – I don't want coffee or tea. Spanish uses double negation: no before the verb, then ni...ni.
Y → e is about sound
Not this (incorrect): padre y hijo
But this (correct): padre e hijo – father and son. The h is silent, so "hijo" sounds like "ijo": use e. Same with aguja e hilo (needle and thread).
O → u before o sounds
Not this (incorrect): siete o ocho
But this (correct): siete u ocho – seven or eight. "o ocho" sounds awkward, so o becomes u. Same with mujeres u hombres (hombres sounds like "ombres").
Quick check
8 questions1. Complete: pan ___ mantequilla (bread and butter)
Use 'y' before consonants and vowels other than i-/hi-.
2. Complete: madre ___ hija (mother and daughter)
Change 'y' to 'e' before words starting with i- or hi- sound (hija = 'ija').
3. Complete: café ___ té (coffee or tea)
Use 'o' before consonants and most vowels.
4. Complete: siete ___ ocho (seven or eight)
Change 'o' to 'u' before words starting with o- or ho- sound.
5. Complete: Es caro, ___ me gusta (It's expensive, but I like it)
Use 'pero' when adding contrasting information.
6. Complete: No es rojo, ___ azul (It's not red, but blue)
Use 'sino' after a negative to correct/replace with the true alternative.
7. Complete: No estudia, ___ trabaja (He doesn't study, but rather works)
Use 'sino que' when the correction includes a conjugated verb.
8. Complete: ___ tengo ___ hambre ___ sed (I'm neither hungry nor thirsty)
Use 'No...ni...ni' for 'neither...nor' when the verb comes first.
Test your knowledge of Spanish coordinating conjunctions!
Going further
Longer sentences with several conjunctions, pero or sino, and more examples of each
Building complex sentences
Conjunctions help you express more sophisticated ideas by combining simple statements:
Quiero viajar a España u Holanda, pero no tengo ni tiempo ni dinero – I want to travel to Spain or Holland, but I have neither time nor money (u, pero, ni...ni)
No es médico sino enfermero, pero trabaja en el mismo hospital – He's not a doctor but (rather) a nurse, but he works at the same hospital (sino, pero)
María e Isabel estudian francés e inglés, pero ni María ni Isabel hablan alemán – María and Isabel study French and English, but neither María nor Isabel speak German (e, e, pero, ni...ni)
Pero or sino: the quick test
Not correcting: pero: Es pequeño, pero es cómodo – It's small, but it's comfortable
Correcting: sino: No es pequeño, sino grande – It's not small, but (rather) big
More examples
y: rápido y eficiente – fast and efficient
y: día y noche – day and night
y: Carlos y María – Carlos and María
y: vino y queso – wine and cheese
e: aguja e hilo – needle and thread
e: mujeres e hijos – women and children
e: Ciencia e historia son mis clases favoritas – Science and history are my favourite classes
o: blanco o negro – white or black
o: grande o pequeño – big or small
o: ahora o nunca – now or never
o: vino o cerveza – wine or beer
u: ayer u hoy – yesterday or today
u: contenido u objetivo – content or objective
u: ¿Son siete u ocho personas? Is it seven or eight people?
pero: Es pequeño, pero es fuerte – It's small, but it's strong
pero: Estudia mucho, pero no aprueba – He studies a lot, but he doesn't pass
pero: Es tarde, pero todavía puedo ir – It's late, but I can still go
pero: No es perfecto, pero funciona – It's not perfect, but it works
pero: Hace frío, pero no llueve – It's cold, but it's not raining
sino: No tengo dos hermanos, sino tres – I don't have two brothers, but (rather) three
sino: No estudia francés, sino español – She doesn't study French, but (rather) Spanish
sino: No es azul, sino verde – It's not blue, but (rather) green
sino: No voy a París, sino a Londres – I'm not going to Paris, but (rather) to London
sino: No cuesta 10 €, sino 15 € – It doesn't cost €10, but (rather) €15
sino: No llegó ayer, sino hoy – He didn't arrive yesterday, but (rather) today
ni...ni: Ni grande ni pequeño – Neither big nor small
ni...ni: Ni rico ni pobre – Neither rich nor poor
ni...ni: Ni hoy ni mañana – Neither today nor tomorrow
ni...ni: No es ni bueno ni malo – It's neither good nor bad
ni...ni: No habla ni inglés ni francés – He speaks neither English nor French
ni...ni: No bebo ni café ni té – I drink neither coffee nor tea
ni...ni: No tengo ni hambre ni sed – I'm neither hungry nor thirsty
ni...ni: Ni tú ni yo sabemos la respuesta – Neither you nor I know the answer
ni...ni: No hace ni frío ni calor – It's neither cold nor hot