part of speech<\/a> <\/strong>(for example, two nouns or two verbs). The following sections will cover the four main subgroups of coordinating conjunctions.<\/p>\nConjunctions that express an addition<\/h3>\n
The first subgroup of coordinating conjunctions is used to add options together.<\/strong> The options can range from two or more words to two or more clauses or even whole sentences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t| Conjunction<\/th> | Usage<\/th> | Examples<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n |
\n\n\ty<\/em> (and)<\/strong><\/td>| Allows you to put together 2 or more words, clauses or sentences, including all of them in the same group at the same time.<\/td> | Me gustan el amarillo y<\/strong> el azul.<\/em> (I like the yellow and blue ones.)
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\nAntonio hizo la compra y<\/strong> prepar\u00f3 el almuerzo.<\/em> (Antonio went grocery shopping and prepared lunch.)
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\nEl abogado me pidi\u00f3 el DNI, anot\u00f3 mis datos y<\/strong> me dijo que me llamar\u00eda.<\/em> (The lawyer asked me for my ID, wrote down my personal details and told me he'd call me.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n\te<\/em> (and)<\/strong><\/td>Used instead of y<\/em> when the word that follows the conjunction starts with an i<\/em> (ee)\u00a0sound.*<\/td>Juan e<\/strong> Isa se acaban de casar.<\/em> (Juan and Isa have just gotten married.)
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\nMe levant\u00e9 e<\/strong> hice la cama.<\/em> (I got up and made the bed.)
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\nLuis es alto, guapo e<\/strong> inteligente.<\/em> (Luis is tall, handsome and intelligent.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n\tni<\/em> (neither)
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\nni...ni<\/em> (neither...nor)<\/strong><\/td>Used to express negation or to join 2 or more negative elements in a sentence. Can be used alone or in pairs to add more emphasis.<\/td> | No me gusta la carne ni<\/strong> el pescado.<\/em> (I don't like meat or fish.)
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\nNo tengo ni<\/strong> tiempo ni<\/strong> dinero para ir de vacaciones este a\u00f1o.<\/em> (I have neither time nor money to go on vacation this year.)
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\nNi<\/strong> Espa\u00f1a ni<\/strong> Portugal tienen m\u00e1s de 100 millones de habitantes.<\/em> (Neither Spain nor Portugal has more than 100 million inhabitants.)
\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n*If the word following the conjunction starts with a diphthong (ia\/hia, ie\/hie, io\/hio)<\/em>, we use y <\/em>as usual.<\/strong><\/p>\nHay agua y<\/strong> hielo en la mesa. <\/em>(There’s water and ice on the table.)<\/p>\nPela las patatas y<\/strong> hi\u00e9rvelas. <\/em>(Peel the potatoes and boil them.)<\/p>\nConjunctions that offer alternatives<\/h3>\nThis group of conjunctions allows you to choose among different options or alternatives.<\/strong> These conjunctions are exclusive because they express the fact that you can’t have more than one of the options and will need to choose one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t| Conjunction<\/th> | Usage<\/th> | Examples<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n | \n\n\to<\/em> (or)<\/strong><\/td>| Used\u00a0when you need to choose 1 from 2 or more alternatives.<\/td> | \u00bfQuieres caf\u00e9 o<\/strong> t\u00e9?<\/em> (Do you want coffee or tea?)
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\nQuiz\u00e1s es profesor, juez o<\/strong> m\u00e9dico.<\/em> (He may be a professor, a judge or a doctor.)
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\nVolvi\u00f3 a las 3 o<\/strong> las 4 de la ma\u00f1ana.<\/em> (He came back at 3 or 4 a.m.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n\tu<\/em> (or)<\/strong><\/td>Used instead of o<\/em> if the word that follows the conjunction starts with an o<\/em>\u00a0(oh)\u00a0sound.<\/td>Tendr\u00e1 siete u<\/strong> ocho a\u00f1os.<\/em> (He must be seven or eight years old.)
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\nElige uno u<\/strong> otro.<\/em> (Choose one or the other.)
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\nP\u00eddele a tu hermano 10\u00a0u<\/strong> 11 euros.<\/em> (Ask your brother for 10 or 11 euros.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n\to...o<\/em> (either...or)<\/strong><\/td>| Used when there are only 2 options.<\/td> | O<\/strong> compras una casa peque\u00f1a o<\/strong> ahorras un poco m\u00e1s para poder comprar una m\u00e1s grande.<\/em> (Either you buy a small house or you save up a little more so you can buy a bigger one.)
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\nPuedes elegir o<\/strong> el blanco o<\/strong> el negro.<\/em> (You can choose either the white one or the black one.)
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\nSolo puedo comprar o <\/strong>pl\u00e1tanos o<\/strong> manzanas. No tengo mucho dinero.<\/em> (I can only buy either bananas or apples. I don't have a lot of money.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\nConjunctions that give an explanation<\/h3>\nThe third group of conjunctions is very easy to use. It allows you to add information or an explanation to what you’ve just said.<\/strong> There are two conjunctions in this group:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t| Conjunction<\/th> | Usage<\/th> | Examples<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n | \n\n\testo es<\/em> (that is to say, in other words, i.e.)<\/strong><\/td>| Used to explain or clarify what you've just said. This conjunction is a bit formal and should always be written between commas.<\/td> | He comprado la mitad, esto es<\/strong>, cinco piezas.<\/em> (I've bought half of it, i.e., five pieces.)
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\nEl hombre gir\u00f3 en direcci\u00f3n sur, esto es<\/strong>, gir\u00f3 a la derecha.<\/em> (The man turned South, in other words, he turned right.)
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\nTenemos la colecci\u00f3n entera, esto es<\/strong>, las 57 tazas.<\/em> (We have the whole collection, that is, all 57 mugs.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n\tes decir<\/em> (that is to say, in other words, i.e.)<\/strong><\/td>Means the same as esto es<\/em> but is much more commonly used. Should always be written between commas.<\/td>Hay 250 personas m\u00e1s que en 2007, es decir<\/strong>, ha habido un aumento del 23% en 11 a\u00f1os.<\/em> (There are 250 more people than in 2007, i.e., there's been an increment of 23% in 11 years.)
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\nHe dejado mi trabajo, es decir<\/strong>, estoy en paro.<\/em> (I've quit my job, in other words, I'm unemployed.)
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\nSoy hijo \u00fanico, es decir<\/strong>, no tengo hermanos ni hermanas.<\/em> (I'm an only child, in other words, I don't have any brothers or sisters.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\nConjunctions that express contrast<\/h3>\nThese conjunctions are used<\/strong> to express contrast or opposition between what’s been said and what’s going to be said. <\/strong>This group of conjunctions has many entries, so I’ve chosen the ones that we often use in our daily lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t| Conjunction<\/th> | Usage<\/th> | Examples<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n | \n\n\taunque<\/em> (although, though, even though, even if)<\/strong><\/td>Very commonly used to express a contradiction or something that goes against the expectation.
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\n<\/td> | Ya he almorzado aunque<\/strong> solo son las 11 de la ma\u00f1ana.<\/em> (I've already eaten lunch even though it's only 11 a.m.)
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\nAunque<\/strong> hace fr\u00edo, vamos a pasear al parque.<\/em> (Even though it's cold, we're going for a walk in the park.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n\tpero<\/em> (but, yet)<\/strong><\/td>| Can be used to indicate contradiction or emphasis.<\/td> | Es bajo pero<\/strong> es un buen jugador de baloncesto.<\/em> (He's short, but he's a good basketball player.)
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\nEl coche es peque\u00f1o pero<\/strong> bonito.<\/em> (The car is small yet beautiful.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n\tmas<\/em> (but, yet)<\/strong><\/td>The very formal counterpart to pero<\/em>. Notice the lack of accent mark<\/a>, as opposed to m\u00e1s (more).<\/td>Tengo dinero, mas<\/strong> no soy rico.<\/em> (I have money, but I'm not rich.)
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\nLe envi\u00f3 una carta, mas<\/strong> \u00e9l nunca contest\u00f3.<\/em> (She sent him a letter, but he never answered back.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n\tsino<\/em> (but)<\/strong><\/td>Normally used when the previous part of the\u00a0sentence is negative<\/a> (no...sino)<\/em>.<\/td>No es febrero sino<\/strong> marzo.<\/em> (It's not February but March.)
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\nNo hemos comprado una casa sino<\/strong> un piso.<\/em> (We haven't bought a house but an apartment.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n\tno obstante<\/em> (however, nevertheless)<\/strong><\/td>| Rather formal and is normally used after a period and before a comma.<\/td> | Me gusta viajar. No obstante<\/strong>, nunca he estado en Espa\u00f1a.<\/em> (I like traveling. However, I've never been to Spain.)
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\nMe minti\u00f3. No obstante<\/strong>, lo perdon\u00e9.<\/em> (He lied to me. However, I forgave him.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n\tsin embargo<\/em> (however, nevertheless, though)<\/strong><\/td>Less formal than no obstante<\/em>. It can be written between a semicolon and a comma or between a period and a comma.<\/td>Soy estudiante. Sin embargo<\/strong>, ya tengo trabajo.<\/em> (I'm a student. However, I already have a job.)
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\nEst\u00e1 lloviendo; sin embargo<\/strong>, voy a salir a correr.<\/em> (It's raining. However, I'm going to go for a run.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\nSubordinating Conjunctions<\/h2>\nSubordinating conjunctions are words or phrases that introduce dependent or subordinate clauses<\/a> within a sentence<\/strong>. These conjunctions create a relationship of dependence between the subordinate clause and the main clause<\/a>, indicating that the action or idea in the subordinate clause relies on the main clause to convey its meaning.<\/p>\nThe following sections will cover the five main subgroups of subordinating conjunctions.<\/p>\n Conjunctions that express purpose<\/h3>\nThese conjunctions are used to say that something has happened\/been done so that something else can happen\/be done.<\/strong><\/p>\nThey all mean the same and are used for the same purpose. The verb used after these conjunctions is in the subjunctive form<\/a> since there’s some doubt or uncertainty that the action will occur.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n \n\n\n\t| Conjunction<\/th> | Usage<\/th> | Examples<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n | \n\n\tpara que<\/em> (so that, so, in order to\/for) <\/strong><\/td>| The most common, least formal conjunction of the group.<\/td> | He apagado las luces para que<\/strong> puedas dormir.<\/em> (I've switched the lights off so that you can sleep.)
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\nTe lo doy para que<\/strong> seas feliz.<\/em> (I'm giving it to you so that you are happy.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n\ta fin de que<\/em> (so that, so, in order to\/for)<\/strong><\/td>This one's more formal than para que<\/em>.<\/td>A fin de que<\/strong> los espa\u00f1oles dejen de fumar, vamos a crear una nueva ley.<\/em> (In order for Spanish people to stop smoking, we're going to create a new law.)
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\nQuiero decirte la verdad a fin de que<\/strong> puedas perdonarme alg\u00fan d\u00eda.<\/em> (I want to tell you the truth so that you can forgive me one day.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n\tcon el fin de que<\/em> (so that, so, in order to)<\/strong><\/td>| This is another formal version of the conjunction.<\/td> | He solicitado un pr\u00e9stamo con el fin de que<\/strong> compres una casa.<\/em> (I've applied for a loan so that you can buy a house.)
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\nHemos creado un nuevo sistema con el fin de que <\/strong>nuestros trabajadores puedan tener m\u00e1s tiempo libre.<\/em> (We've created a new system so that our workers can have more free time.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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