A conjunction is a word that creates a relation among
words, phrases, clauses or sentences. Conjunctions have no meaning by
themselves, they only relate.
Some conjunctions have different meanings, therefore
it is possible to find them performing different relating functions.
These conjunctions coordinate two or more words that
have the same function. They can put together sentences too. These
conjunctions are:
y / and
e / and
ni / neither, nor.
Examples:
Compré musica rusa
y turca. / I bought
Russian and Turkish music.
Tenía verguenza
e ira. / He was ashamed and angry.
Vió el reloj
y
recordó su cita. / He saw the watch and remembered his
appointment.
No comió ni bebió agua /
He did not eat
or drink water.
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These conjunctions put together words or sentences
to express different or conflicting alternatives. These conjunctions are:
u / or
o / or, either.
Examples:
Tú
o
él cocinarán. / Either you or he will cook.
O
nos ayudas o te vas. / Either you help us or you leave.
Uno
u otro camino te lleva. / Either way will take you.
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These conjunctions put together words or sentences
to express different options. These conjunctions are:
ya...ya / now...now
bien...bien / either...or
ora ... ora /
será ... ora /
fuera ... fuera / either...or
Examples:
Comerás
ya
en el
comedor, ya en la cocina./ You will eat now in the dining room, now in the kitchen.
Respondes
bien con
frialdad, bien con pasión./ You answer either with coldness, or with passion.
Fuera en
frío, fuera en
calor, el motor funcionaba bien./ Either in the cold or in the heat, the engine worked OK.
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These conjunctions indicate opposition
among the elements that they join. These conjunctions are:
Pero / but
Mas / however
Sino / but, rather
Sin embargo / nevertheless, however
No obstante / regardless
Antes bien / on the contrary
Con todo / even so
Más bien que / rather than
Fuera de / apart from
Excepto / except
Salvo / Except (for)
Menos / but
Más que / even if, however much
Antes / before
Que no /
Examples:
Quería un helado,
pero no tenía dinero. / I wanted an ice cream, but I
did not have enough money.
Él no podía descansar
sino trabajar mas. / He could not rest,
he would rather
work harder.
Salgo a correr todos los días,
excepto cuando llueve. / I jog
every day,
except when it rains.
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These conjunctions subordinate one sentence to another. The most common is
que / that.
Examples:
Soñé
que volaba. / I dreamed that I was flying.
Díle
que no me gusta. / Tell him that I
don't like it.
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These conjunctions always subordinate one sentence to another. The most
common are:
Porque / because
Pues / because
Ya que / since, seeing that
Puesto que / although, since, as long as
Pues que / since
Supuesto que /
Que / that, because
De que / of
Como / as, since
Por razón de que / for the reason that
En vista de que /
Dado que / given that
Por cuanto / in as much as
A causa de que / because
Por lo cual / therefore
Examples:
Sabían que la amabas
ya que la besaste. / They knew you loved her since
you kissed her.
Puesto que no veniste, tuve que estudiar
solo. / Since you did not come,
I had to study by myself.
Como tenía dinero, todos lo seguían. /
Since he had money, everybody
followed him.
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These conjunctions express the logical result of any action. The most common
are the following ones
Luego / then
Así pues / therefore
Conque /
Así que / As soon as, after, that is why
Por consiguiente / therefore
Por tanto / therefore
Por lo tanto / therefore
Pues / then
De manera que / in such a way that
De modo que / so that, in such a way that
Que / that, because
Examples:
¿Quieres
dinero?, pues trabaja!. / Do you want money? Then work!
Se
cayó la niña, así que la llevaron al doctor. / The girl fell
down, that's why she was taken to the doctor.
Ella no comprendía,
por lo tanto se fué. / She did not understand,
therefore she left.
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They express the condition that must be met to realize what is indicated
in the principal sentence. The most common are:
Si / if
Como / as, since
En caso de que / in case that.
Siempre que / whenever, provided that.
Con tal de que /
Examples:
Como no venías, tuvimos que partir. /
Since you didn't come, we had to
leave.
En caso de que pierdas las llaves, aquí tienes otras /
In case that
you lose the keys, here you have other ones.
Comeremos conejo
siempre que lo cazemos / We will eat rabbit provided
that we will hunt it.
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These conjunctions introduce a sentence that will realize the main verb
action; such as:
Para que / in order that, so that.
A fin de que / so that, in order that.
Con el objeto de que / with the purpose of.
Con el fin de que / with the purpose of.
Examples:
Te doy dinero para que no olvides mis cosas. / I am giving you money so
that you won´t forget my stuff.
Trabajó duro con el fin de que pudiera comprarse un coche. / He worked
hard for the purpose of buying a car.
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They introduce a sentence that expresses difficulty in fulfilling what the
main sentence requires. This difficulty does not always avoid the main
action fulfillment. The most common ones are:
Aunque / although
Por más que /
Si bien /
Aun cuando / even if
A pesar de que / despite
Así /
Como /
Siquiera / though, although, whether, or
Ya que / since, seeing that
Bien que/
Mal que /
Examples:
Aunque le disgustaba bailar, bailó toda la noche / Although he didn't
like to dance, he danced all night long.
No hemos ahorrado lo suficiente a pesar de que nos hemos esforzado / We
have not saved enough, despite the fact we have tried very hard.
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