Spanish Pero and Sino

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In Spanish, pero and sino are conjunctions that state contrast. Pero and sino are both used to connect words, phrases or clauses in a sentence. Pero is the equivalent of the English ‘however’, ‘but’ or ‘instead’. Sino is equivalent to ‘on the contrary’, ‘but’ or ‘but rather’.

Using Sino and Pero in Spanish

• Sino is generally only used after negative sentences or statements.

Examples:

No es mi hermana sino mi mamá.
She is not my sister but my mom.

Luisa no come carne sino pollo.
Luisa does not eat meat but (but rather) chicken.

• Pero is used to communicate ideas or to make corrections. Pero can follow affirmative or negative sentences.

Examples:

Paul no puede andar en bicicleta pero puede patinar.
Paul can’t ride a bike but he can skate.

Me gusta cantar pero me gusta bailar más.
I like to sing but (instead) I like to dance more.

Mis amigas quieren comer hamburguesas pero sin queso.
My friends want to eat hamburgers but without cheese.

‘Sino Que‘ in Spanish

Sino que in Spanish is used in the same way as the conjunction sino. The difference is that sino que is used when both statements contain a conjugated verb.

Examples:

Mi mamá no camina al trabajo sino que conduce su auto.
My mom doesn’t walk to work but drives her car.

Ellas no sólo comieron sino que bebieron toda la noche.
They not only ate but (rather) ate and drank all night.

Isabelle no terminó en primer lugar, sino que ganó el tercer lugar.
Isabelle did not finish in first place, on the contrary she became third place.