Spanish grammar: Conjunctions

Conjunctions are joining words that link together parts of a sentence.

You can use a number of different conjunctions in Spanish to improve your sentences and add more detail.

Here are some conjunctions that you can use in Spanish:

Like in English, conjunctions can be used to help avoid repetition.

For example, look at the two sentences below:

• Me gustan las patatas fritas - I like chips
• Me gusta la ensalada - I like salad

You could join these two sentences together by adding the conjunction y (and) and removing the repetition of me gusta (I like):

• Me gustan las patatas fritas y la ensalada - I like chips and salad

Conjunctions can also help you to join together two simple sentences or ideas to form an extended sentence.

Look at the two sentences below. Can you remember which conjunctions to use in Spanish to join them together?

• Me gustan los gatos
• No me gustan los perros

You could use either pero (but) or sin embargo (however):

• Me gustan los gatos pero no me gustan los perros - I like cats but I don't like dogs
• Me gustan los gatos, sin embargo, no me gustan los perros - I like cats, however, I don't like dogs