Spanish Conjunctions: List of 43 Conjunctions in Spanish

Spanish conjunctions are critical when forming sentences because they allow you to connect words and ideas while maintaining the communication flow. Simply put, conjunctions in Spanish are the words that prevent you from creating multiple choppy short sentences.  

Given their importance when learning Spanish, this guide will teach you everything you need to know about conjunctions. Here is a quick overview of what we’ll cover: 

Take Note: Conjunctions are one of the nine parts of speech in Spanish grammar. In short, they’re a fundamental type of word you must learn to form sentences correctly.  

What Are Spanish Conjunctions?

Spanish conjunctions are terms that join words or clauses together, so they read as one sentence. For example: 

Beto, Paco y yo fuimos al cine.
Beto, Paco, and I went to the movies.

Ven tan pronto como puedas.
Come as soon as you can.

Check the examples above one more time. 

Spanish conjunctions always join elements that belong to the same type of word or are performing the same function (like pronouns). Simply put, they join verbs with verbs, adjectives with adjectives, and so on. 

A conjunction in Spanish can also be a single word, such as y. Or they could be compound, which means that you form them with more than one word, such as tan pronto como. 

Whether they’re a word or a short phrase, conjunctions never change to mark gender nor do they have a plural form. 

Depending on the type of relationship they’re creating, Spanish conjunctions can be classified into: 

  • Coordinating conjunctions
  • Subordinating conjunctions
graphic explaining the difference between coordinating and subordinating conjunctions in spanish

You’ll learn more about these types of conjunctions in the sections below. 

Take Note: Because they join elements together, conjunctions and Spanish transition words (sometimes called connectors) are usually confused. Conjunctions join elements in the same sentence, while connectors can be used between two separate sentences. 

List of Spanish Coordinating Conjunctions

Coordinating conjunctions in Spanish link words with the same sentence hierarchy. This means that the elements you’re linking have equal value. Because they don’t depend on each other, they could stand alone in the sentence. 

Below are the subcategories of Spanish coordinating conjunctions, along with some examples. 

Copulative conjunctions

Spanish copulative conjunctions allow you to add more elements in a sentence. Examples of these conjunctions are: 

  1. Además deBesides / In addition to
  2. Así comoAnd / Just as
  3. Así como también As well as 
  4. Así como tampocoNor
  5. Ni Nor / Not even 
  6. TancomoBoth…and
  7. Tanto…comoBoth…and
  8. Y (e) And
  9. Y también And also

Ulises e Isabel hablan español.
Ulises and Isabel speak Spanish.

No sé ni quiero saber.
I don’t know, nor do I want to know.

Betty es tan linda como amable.
Betty is both cute and nice.

Y is one of the most common conjunctions in Spanish. However, we must replace it with the vowel e if the word we’re adding starts with an ‘i’ sound. Check this article on y vs e to learn more about these pronunciation rules. 

Take Note: Some compound conjunctions may work with adjectives or adverbs. When it comes to adjectives, you must make sure to make the word plural or mark the gender accordingly. 

Disjunctive conjunctions

As its name suggests, disjunctive conjunctions in Spanish join elements while presenting an alternative. Some examples of these words include:  

  1. O Or
  2. U Or 
  3. O…o Either…or

Puedo ir hoy o mañana.
I can go today or tomorrow.

Habla con Carlos u Osvaldo.
Talk to Carlos or Osvaldo.

Adversative conjunctions

Spanish adversative conjunctions express a contrasting idea between the elements they’re linking. For example: 

  1. Aunque Even if / Although 
  2. Mas But
  3. Pero But
  4. Sin embargo However / But
  5. Sino But / But rather

Quiero ir, pero no puedo.
I want to go, but I can’t.

La película es buena, aunque es un poco larga.
The movie is good, although it’s a bit long.

List of Subordinating Conjunctions in Spanish

Spanish subordinating conjunctions are used to expand or further describe a main independent clause. In other words, these conjunctions connect a main sentence with a subordinate clause (also called dependent clause).

Subordinating conjugations in Spanish can express cause, condition, time, comparison, and purpose. Be aware that these types of conjunctions can fall into more than one of these categories. 

Here are some examples of the most common subordinating conjunctions in Spanish: 

  1. A fin de queIn order to / So that
  2. Antes que Before
  3. Aun cuandoEven when 
  4. Cada vez queEvery time / Whenever
  5. ConqueSo / So then
  6. Con tal de que –  As long as / Providing 
  7. Como si As if / As though 
  8. CuandoWhen / Even when 
  9. Justo cuandoJust when / Just as
  10. Menos queLess than 
  11. Mientras While
  12. Para queSo that
  13. Porque Because
  14. Por más que No matter how much / Although 
  15. Por mucho queNo matter how much / Even though 
  16. PuesSince / As / Because
  17. Puesto queBecause / Given that
  18. QueThat / Than / Because
  19. Según Depending on / Just as
  20. Si If / Whether 
  21. Si no If not 
  22. Si acaso In case / Just in case
  23. Siempre que Every time / Provided that
  24. Siempre y cuando – Provided / As long as
  25. Tal comoJust as / As
  26. Ya queFor / Because / Since

And here are some examples of how to use these words: 

No quiero ir si tú no vas.
I don’t want to go if you don’t go.

Me siento mal cada vez que peleamos.
I feel bad every time we fight.

Sasha está enojada porque no la ayudamos.
Sasha is mad because we didn’t help her.

¿Por qué haces eso cuando sabes que me molesta?
Why do you do that even when you know it bothers me?

Take Note: Subordinate clauses are sentences that depend on a main clause. In other words, they cannot stand alone because they don’t have full meaning on their own. 

Prepositions vs Conjunctions In Spanish

Spanish prepositions are words that link nouns, pronouns, verbs, and complements while indicating origin, destination, direction, location, or cause. On the other hand, conjunctions can join two sentences and they imply different types of connection (such as adding information). 

Check the following examples: 

Las llaves están en la mesa.
The keys are on the table.

El celular y la cartera son para ella.
The phone and the wallet are for her.

No quiero ir, pero tengo que hacerlo.
I don’t want to go, but I have to.

Key Points

Since they’re used to connect terms and clauses together, Spanish conjunctions are key to forming coherent and fluent sentences. Here are some key points you should know: 

  • Conjunctions in Spanish can be single words (y, pero, o) or compound if they’re formed with more than one term (siempre y cuando). 
  • There are two main types of conjunctions in Spanish – coordinating and subordinate conjunctions. 
  • Spanish coordinating conjunctions join elements with the same value in the sentence (nouns with nouns/pronouns, verbs with verbs, etc). 
  • Coordinating conjunctions can add and contrast information or provide alternatives. Examples of coordinating conjugations are y, o, pero. 
  • Spanish subordinate conjunctions join a main clause with a dependent or subordinate sentence. 
  • Subordinate conjunctions provide more information about the main clause. This information can be conditions, time, cause, purpose, or comparisons. 

Conjunctions are very common in our conversations. So, don’t hesitate to start using them! ¡Buena suerte! 

Download the Conjunctions in Spanish PDF Cheat Sheets

With all the various types of conjunctions and rules to using them, some Spanish learners might need a refresher on the learning materials now and again. That’s why I’ve created a free PDF containing the highlights, vocabulary, phrases, charts, list of conjunctions, and key points for this guide.

Daniela Sanchez

¡Hola! Soy Daniela Sanchez, I've been studying Spanish professionally as well as teaching it in Mexico and online for over 10 years. I’ve taught Spanish to a wide array of foreigners from many backgrounds. Over the years, I've made it my mission to work hard on refining many challenging to understand grammar topics to make my students' learning experiences easier, faster and more enjoyable. Read More About Me

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