There are multiple ways to say ‘but’ in Spanish. While a simple ‘pero’ will get you by in most situations, the word ‘sino’ has its own unique meaning for when you want to express a contrast or a contradiction.
For example, ‘I can’t do it today, but I can do it tomorrow’ would translate as ‘No lo puedo hacer hoy, pero sí lo puedo hacer mañana.’
Sino more accurately translates as ‘but rather’, e.g. ‘I don’t want meat, but fish’ would translate as ‘No quiero carne, sino pescado’.
Pero
“Pero” is the most common and versatile way to say “but” in Spanish. It’s used to introduce a contrast or contradiction between two statements or ideas.
Example: Quería ir al cine, pero estaba demasiado cansado. (I wanted to go to the movies, but I was too tired.)
Sino
“Sino” is used to express a contrast or contradiction, but it’s often used after a negative statement to emphasize an alternative or exception.
Example: No es solo inteligente, sino también muy trabajador. (He’s not just intelligent, but also very hardworking.)
Sin embargo
Explanation: “Sin embargo” translates to “however” or “nevertheless” and is used to introduce a contrasting idea or to express concession.
Example: Pensé que sería fácil, sin embargo, resultó ser bastante difícil. (I thought it would be easy, however, it turned out to be quite difficult.)
Menos
“Menos” means “less” or “except” and is used to introduce an exception or exclusion.
Example: Todos estaban emocionados por el proyecto, menos Juan. (Everyone was excited about the project, except Juan.)
Excepto
“Excepto” means “except” or “apart from” and is used to indicate an exclusion or exception from a group.
Example: Todos los estudiantes aprobaron el examen, excepto María. (All the students passed the exam, except María.)
No obstante
“No obstante” means “however” or “nevertheless” and is used similarly to “sin embargo” to introduce a contrasting idea.
Example: La película recibió críticas negativas, no obstante, fue un gran éxito de taquilla. (The movie received negative reviews, however, it was a box office hit.)
Aunque
“Aunque” means “although” or “even though” and is used to introduce a concession or contrast.
Example: Aunque hacía frío, salimos a caminar por el parque. (Although it was cold, we went for a walk in the park.)
These different words for “but” in Spanish offer various ways to express contrast, contradiction, or exception in a sentence, providing flexibility and nuance in communication.