This Spanish Easy Review quiz takes a look at conjunctions. In your English class you learned about conjunctions. Conjunctions are words (or a group of words) that are used to connect other words, phrases, clauses and sentences together. The words considered conjunctions are many but there are a few that are the most commonly and frequently used. These frequently used conjunction words are: and, but, because, or, neither, nor, so, thus, if and that.
Sometimes in Spanish more than one word is used to replace a conjunction if the preceding or next word begins or ends with a vowel. Below is a brief listing of conjunction words and how they are used and rules that apply to when and how to use the proper conjunction.
Spanish Conjunctions | English Equivalent | How It Is Pronounced And/Or How It Is Used And/Or Its Rule |
---|---|---|
y, e | and | The 'y' is pronounced as as a long 'e' while 'e' is pronounced as a long 'a'. He bought bread and milk. In Spanish the 'y' is mostly used unless the word that follows it starts with an 'i'. If the word that follows starts with an 'i' then 'e' is used in place of the 'y'. |
o, u | or | The 'o' is pronounced as a short 'o' such as in the word hot' while 'u' is pronounced as 'oo' as in boo. Milk or cream? In Spanish the 'o' is mostly used unless the word that follows it starts with an 'o'. If the word starts with an 'o' then the 'u' is used in place of the 'o'. |
pero | but | In Spanish, pero is used as in 'The car was broken but he could fix it.' |
ni | neither, nor | In Spanish, 'ni' is used to mean both 'neither' and 'nor'. 'He was neither bright nor stupid.' |
porque | because | Pronounced as 'poor-kay'. In Spanish, 'porque' is used as in 'She went to bed early because she was tired.' |
pues | thus, so | Pronounced as 'pews'. In Spanish, 'pues' is used as in 'She asked for me so here I am.' 'I was the tallest, thus I had to go first.' |
si | if | Pronounced as 'see'. In Spanish, the word 'si' is not always written or spoken but is more understood. However, there are times when it is used. When used, 'si' does NOT have an accent mark as in the Spanish word s¨ª (with an accent mark) which means 'yes'. |
que | that | Pronounced as 'kay'. In Spanish, the conjunction 'que' is followed by a verb such as in 'I hope that he arrives soon.' |
Since you have not yet begun speaking any Spanish, learning these conjunctions might be a little tricky but soon they will become more comfortable and, in time, even natural. For now, just take the time to become familiar with them, their pronunciations and their rules (when appropriate). Once you feel comfortable enough, then proceed and take the following quiz on Spanish conjunctions.