Conjunctions of coordination are used to combine words or sentences.
Copulative conjunctions connect two elements (positive and negative).
Disjunctive conjunctions present two options that exclude one another.
Adversative conjunctions unite two elements that contradict each other.
Correlative conjunctions present two elements that are connected to each other as alternatives.
Explanatory conjunctions introduce an explanation regarding the first element of the sentence.
-Copulativas (Copulative)
Y*
Ni
Que
Tanto… como
Ni…ni
ex. Quiero una manzana y un plátano. (I want an apple and a banana).
El niño no sabe leer ni escribir. (The boy doesn’t know how to read or write).
Le gusta tanto el futbol como el baloncesto. (He likes both football and basketball).
-Disyuntivas (Disjunctive)
O**
Ora
Bien
ex. Vamos al cine o al teatro. (Let’s go to the cinema or to the theatre).
Ven pronto o bien me marcharé. (Come soon or I’ll leave).
-Adversativas (Adversative)
Pero
Sin embargo
Aunque
ex. Me gusta el mar pero no tomar el sol. (I like the sea, but I don’t like getting sun tanned).
La sopa está buena aunque fría. (The soup is nice even if it’s cold).
-Distributivas (Correlative)
O…o
Bien … bien
ex. El próximo verano o vamos a la playa o vamos al lago. (Next summer we will go to the seaside or to the lake).
-Explicativas (Explanatory)
Es decir
Esto es
ex. He aprobado el examen, es decir, me puedo ir de vacaciones. (I passed the exam, therefore I can go on holiday).
*E: is used before ‘i’ and ‘hi’.
ex. Las asignaturas que más me gustan son inglés e historia. (The subjects I like are English and History).
** U: is used before ‘di’ and ‘o’.
ex. Prefieres una libreta u hojas. (Do you prefer a notebook or a sheet of paper?).
NEXT: B1-2 Superlatives
