Spanish conjunctions start small: y (and), o (or), pero (but), porque (because), cuando (when), and si (if) are the six words that link almost every early sentence. Past that beginner set the list grows into connectors built for contrast and consequence, words like sin embargo (however), aunque (although), and por lo tanto (therefore), all the way up to the formal register of reports and contracts. Here is the full ladder, level by level, drawn from Vocabcord's 33,233-phrase Spanish corpus, with audio on the six you will use first.
The six conjunctions you meet first (A1)
This is the connector slice of Vocabcord's A1 Spanish grammar set, the six small words that link one idea to the next. Tap the play button on any row to hear it.
| Spanish | English | In a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| y | and | Bread and butter. |
| o | or | Tea or coffee? |
| pero | but | I want it but it's expensive. |
| porque | because | Because I love you. |
| cuando | when | When you arrive. |
| si | if | If it rains, stay home. |
Two of the six carry a second job worth flagging. Si means if here, setting up a condition (Si llueve, quédate en casa, if it rains, stay home), and Spanish keeps a second, unrelated word that looks almost the same: sí with an accent means yes. Cuando does the same job in time that si does in logic, joining one event to the moment another happens (Cuando llegues, when you arrive).
A2 adds four connectors for contrast and condition
The A2 grammar pack introduces four more: sin embargo (however), aunque (although), mientras (while), and a menos que (unless). All four step past simple addition and start managing how two clauses argue with each other. Hacía frío; sin embargo, salimos (it was cold; however, we went out) sets up a contrast, and No iremos a menos que deje de llover (we won't go unless it stops raining) sets a condition strict enough to need its own word. The same pack teaches two phrases for introducing an example, por ejemplo (for example) and tales como (such as), and one for adding to a point, también (as well), useful connective tissue even where the grammar books would not call them conjunctions.
B1: eight linking words for whole sentences
B1's describing-and-adverbs pack holds a denser set, built for connecting full sentences rather than joining two halves of one: sin embargo (however), por lo tanto (therefore), aunque (although), a pesar de (despite), además de (besides), en cambio (instead), si no (otherwise), and mientras tanto (meanwhile). Llovió y, por lo tanto, nos quedamos en casa (it rained; therefore, we stayed in) shows the pattern: state one fact, then let one of these words carry the logic into the next.
Sin embargo and aunque both reappear here, having already shown up in the A2 set. That is worth noticing rather than filing away as a duplicate: these two carry enough of the weight of everyday argument that meeting them twice, once inside a short clause and again anchoring a full sentence, is exactly the kind of repetition spaced practice is built for.
C1: the formal register, for argument and analysis
Past B1 the connectors turn academic. C1 adds respecto a (vis-à-vis), hasta ahora (hitherto, and in a separate corpus entry, heretofore), en adelante (henceforth), mediante el cual (whereby), and en la medida en que (inasmuch). Tenemos un sistema mediante el cual cada pedido se revisa dos veces (we have a system whereby every order is checked twice) is the kind of sentence these words are built for: formal reports and contracts more than everyday conversation.
Two familiar words also pick up a formal cousin at this level. Aunque stays exactly the same word, still meaning although, but its English gloss becomes albeit in one corpus entry (Aceptó, aunque a regañadientes, he agreed, albeit reluctantly). A pesar de does the same: the Spanish stays put at despite while the English side reaches for notwithstanding. Spanish keeps the everyday word it already had, and English is the one hunting for something rarer.
How the connectors stick without a study schedule
Connectors are easy to skip in study and easy to fumble in conversation, because they carry no meaning of their own until they link two other ideas together. Vocabcord handles the repetition automatically: every time you plug in your phone to charge, one phrase plays out loud from your level, spaced by how well you know it, drawn from the frequency-ranked corpus behind this page. Get Vocabcord on the App Store and start with the six basics above.
Common questions
What are the conjunctions in Spanish?
The six most basic are y (and), o (or), pero (but), porque (because), cuando (when), and si (if). All six sit in Vocabcord's A1 Spanish grammar set. More connectors, like sin embargo (however) and aunque (although), arrive from A2 onward.
How do you say 'but' in Spanish?
Pero. It is one of the six core A1 conjunctions: Lo quiero, pero es caro (I want it but it's expensive).
How do you say 'however' in Spanish?
Sin embargo. It shows up twice in Vocabcord's corpus, once at A2 in a short clause (Hacía frío; sin embargo, salimos, it was cold; however, we went out) and again at B1 anchoring a longer sentence.
How do you say 'although' in Spanish?
Aunque. It appears at A2, B1, and again at C1, where the same word gets the rarer English gloss albeit: Aceptó, aunque a regañadientes (he agreed, albeit reluctantly).
What is the difference between 'aunque' and 'a pesar de' in Spanish?
Both point at the same idea but take different grammar. Aunque introduces a full clause with its own verb (Aunque llovió, dimos un paseo, although it rained, we walked), while a pesar de takes a noun (A pesar de la lluvia, dimos un paseo, despite the rain, we walked).
