Conjunctions (conjunciones) in Spanish are words that connect words, phrases, or clauses within a sentence. They help to establish relationships between different parts of a sentence, indicating coordination or subordination. Here are some common conjunctions in Spanish:
- Coordinating Conjunctions (Conjunciones Coordinantes):
- These conjunctions connect words, phrases, or clauses that have equal grammatical importance within a sentence.
- Examples: y (and), o (or), pero (but), sino (but rather), ni (nor), aunque (although), sino que (but rather), ya que (since), porque (because).
- Subordinating Conjunctions (Conjunciones Subordinantes):
- These conjunctions connect a dependent (subordinate) clause to an independent clause, indicating that one clause depends on the other.
- Examples: que (that), si (if), como (as, like), aunque (although, even though), mientras (while), cuando (when), después (after), antes (before), porque (because), aunque (although).
- Conjunctive Adverbs (Adverbios Conjuntivos):
- These adverbs function as conjunctions, connecting independent clauses or sentences and indicating relationships such as contrast, cause, or sequence.
- Examples: sin embargo (however), además (besides), por lo tanto (therefore), no obstante (nevertheless), así que (so, therefore), mientras tanto (meanwhile), por otro lado (on the other hand).
- Correlative Conjunctions (Conjunciones Correlativas):
- These conjunctions are used in pairs to link equivalent elements within a sentence, such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, or adverbs.
- Examples: tanto…como (both…and), ni…ni (neither…nor), ya…ya (either…or), o…o (either…or), bien…bien (either…or).
Understanding conjunctions and their usage is important for constructing well-structured and coherent sentences in Spanish. Practice using conjunctions in different contexts to improve your language skills and convey your ideas effectively.