pero, sino, sino que
Two Spanish words for 'but': adding a contrast, or correcting what came before.
Part of the free B1 Spanish course. Press the speaker next to an example to hear it.
English but has two jobs. Spanish uses two different words for them. You already know pero (Linking words: y/e, o/u, pero, porque). This lesson adds sino and sino que.
Pero: adding a contrast
Pero joins two ideas that are both true, where the second is a surprise or a reservation.
- Es caro, pero es muy bueno.It's expensive, but it's very good.
- No es caro, pero no me gusta.It isn't expensive, but I don't like it.
The first part can be negative, as long as you are not correcting it.
Sino: correcting a negative
Sino means but rather, but instead. It comes after a negative and replaces the first idea with the right one.
- No es médico, sino enfermero.He isn't a doctor but a nurse.
- No vamos en tren sino en autobús.We're not going by train but by bus.
- No quiero salir sino quedarme en casa.I don't want to go out; I want to stay at home.
Test: if you can say not X but (rather) Y, use sino.
Sino que: before a conjugated verb
When the correction is a whole clause with its own conjugated verb, use sino que:
- No lo compré, sino que me lo regalaron.I didn't buy it; it was a present.
- Mi hermano no estudia, sino que trabaja en un bar.My brother isn't studying; he works in a bar.
| After the negative comes… | Use |
|---|---|
| a noun, adjective, adverb or phrase | sino |
| an infinitive | sino |
| a conjugated verb | sino que |
No solo … sino también
- No solo habla inglés, sino también alemán.She speaks not only English but also German.
Sino or si no?
Sino (one word) means but rather. Si no (two words) means if not:
- Si no llueve, iremos a la playa.If it doesn't rain, we'll go to the beach.
Common mistakes
No es rojo pero azul: correcting a negative needs sino: No es rojo, sino azul.No fui al cine, sino fui al teatro: before a conjugated verb use sino que, or drop the verb: No fui al cine, sino al teatro.Sino vienes, me enfado: "if not" is si no, two words.No es barato, sino vale la pena: both ideas are true, nothing is corrected, so use pero.
Practice
- No es mi hermana, _____ mi prima.Options: sino · pero · sino que · si no
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sino — A correction after a negative, followed by a noun: sino.
- Me encanta el queso, _____ no puedo comerlo.Options: pero · sino · sino que
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pero — Both ideas are true: pero.
- No fuimos al cine, _____ nos quedamos en casa viendo una serie.
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sino que — The correction has its own conjugated verb (nos quedamos): sino que.
- No llamé a Sara, _____ le escribí un mensaje.Options: sino que · sino · si no
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sino que — A correction with a conjugated verb (escribí): sino que.