Español — pero vs sino
Spanish has two ways to say "but": pero simply adds a contrast, while sino corrects a negated statement — "No es azul, sino verde". Choosing the wrong one changes the meaning.
How it works
Use pero to add a contrast to an affirmative (or independent) clause: "Es caro, pero me gusta". Use sino only after a negation, to replace the rejected element with the correct one before a noun, adjective or infinitive: "No quiero té, sino café". When the correction is a full clause with a conjugated verb, use sino que: "No lo compró, sino que lo alquiló".
Examples
| Example | When to use it |
|---|---|
| Es pequeño, pero cómodo. | pero: contrast after an affirmative clause (both facts hold). |
| No es médico, pero cura muy bien. | pero after a negation too — when the two clauses coexist rather than exclude each other. |
| No quiero té, sino café. | sino: correction after a negation, before a noun (rejects té, replaces with café). |
| No es alto, sino bajo. | sino before an adjective — the two options are mutually exclusive. |
| No lo compró, sino que lo alquiló. | sino que: correction before a clause with a conjugated verb (alquiló). |
| No solo canta, sino que también baila. | no solo… sino también: "not only… but also" — adds a second element instead of excluding the first. |
Good to know
Don't confuse sino (the conjunction) with si no ("if not", two words): "No hablaba, sino que gritaba" vs "Ven, si no llamo a tu madre". Also, sino needs a preceding negation — after an affirmative clause you must use pero, never sino.