Distinguishing Between Sino & Pero

In Spanish, conjunctions like sino and pero are used to establish connections between clauses and describe relationships between objects. Both sino and pero can be translated to the English conjunction “but,” which can sometimes lead to confusion when translating from English to Spanish. Although some people may use sino and pero interchangeably, there are important distinctions between the two that should be considered when using them as substitutions for “but” in Spanish.

Key Takeaways

• Use sino when the two clauses of a sentence contradict each other.
• Use pero when the two clauses are in agreement with each other.
• When the first clause is not in negative, use pero; use sino if the first clause is in negation.

Pero is used as a conjunction when joining two phrases that do not negate the idea expressed by the first phrase. In this case, the second phrase can be seen as adding on to the idea expressed in the first phrase when pero is used in a sentence.

On the other hand, sino is a conjunction used to join two phrases that directly contradict or negate each other. Sino should be used when something is negated in the first part of the sentence, and the second part of the sentence contradicts this negation.

By understanding the differences between sino and pero, one can more accurately translate and convey the intended meaning when using the conjunction “but” in Spanish.