Using 'Pero,' 'Sino,' and Other Words for 'But'

Although pero and sino are the most common words translated from Spanish as "but," they are used in different ways and cannot be substituted for each other.

Like "but" often is, pero and sino are coordinating conjunctions, meaning that they connect two words or phrases of similar grammatical status. And like "but," pero and sino are used in forming contrasts.

Differences Between Pero and Sino

Usually, the Spanish conjunction to be used to indicate a contrast is pero. But sino is used instead when two conditions are true: when the part of the sentence coming before the conjunction is stated in the negative, and when the part after the conjunction directly contradicts what is negated in the first part. In mathematical-like terms, sino is used for "but" in sentences of type "not A but B" when A contradicts B. The examples below should make this clear.

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Here's another way of putting it: Both pero and sino can be translated as "but." But in almost all cases, "rather," "but rather" or "instead" also could be used as an appropriate translation where sino is used, but not for pero.

Examples of Pero in Use

• Me gustaría salir, pero no puedo. (I would like to leave, but I can't. The first part of the sentence isn't stated in the negative, so pero is used.)
• María es alta pero no es fuerte. (Mary is tall, but she isn't strong. The first part of the sentence isn't stated in the negative, so pero is used.)
• Los huevos son fritos pero no revueltos. (The eggs are fried but not scrambled. Again, the first part of the sentence is stated in the affirmative.)
• María no es alta pero es inteligente. (Mary isn't tall, but she's intelligent. Although the first part of this sentence is in the negative, pero is used because there's no direct contrast — there's no contradiction with being short and smart.)
• No son muchos pero buenos. (There aren't many, but they're good. Again, there's no direct contrast, so pero is used.)
• El virus Código Rojo no afecta usuarios, pero Sircam no remite. (The Code Red virus doesn't affect users, but Sircam doesn't let up. The two parts of this sentence are used as a comparison rather than a contrast, so pero is used.)

Examples of Sino in Use

• María no es alta sino baja. (Mary isn't tall, but short, or Mary isn't tall, rather she's short. There's a direct contrast between tall and short.)
• No creemos lo que vemos, sino que vemos lo que creemos. (We don't believe what we see, but we see what we believe, or we don't believe what we see, rather we see what we believe. There's a clear and direct contrast between cause and effect used in this sentence.)
• El protagonista no era conde sino señor. (The protagonist wasn't a count but a lord, or the protagonist wasn't a count, rather he was a lord. Although conde and señor aren't opposites, they are used in this sentence to contrast with each other.)
• No he venido a ser servido sino a servir. (I haven't come to be served but to serve, or I haven't come to be served; instead I have come to serve. Again, there's a direct contrast between the two purposes stated in the sentence.)
• El problema no es tuyo sino mío. (The problem isn't yours but mine. Sino shows a contrast in ownership.)

Other Ways of Saying 'But' in Spanish

When "except" can substitute for "but," it is often possible to use excepto, menos, or salvo. In these cases, however, "but" and the Spanish word are aren't used to form a contrast but to function as a preposition.

• Creo en la justicia para todos, excepto mis enemigos. (I believe in justice for everyone but my enemies.)
• No conozco a nadie, excepto mi hija. (I don't know anybody but my daughter.)
• Me gustan todos los comentarios, menos el primero. (I liked all the comments but the first one.)
• Debemos considerar todas las posibilidades, menos esa. (We should consider all the possibilities but that one.)
• Todos los formularios, salvo uno, están disponibles en inglés. (All the forms but one are available in English.)
• Nadie, salvo yo, sabe lo que es bueno para mí. (Nobody but me knows what is good for me.)