# sino / pero



## India-America

What is the difference between sino y pero, in spanish? When do i use each?


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## Maeron

_Sino _= *but rather*, *except*
_Pero _= *but*

I don't know how to explain it *but *I'll try. pero
I won't try to make up an example, *but rather* I'll refer you to the dictionary . (I hope it helps.) sino


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## India-America

Thank you for helping me. Gracias.


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## inTheWay

This should help:
http://spanish.about.com/library/questions/blq-pero_and_sino.htm


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## chispa

Some examples:

No es rico sino pobre

the part after sino gives the alternative

Es rico pero su padre es pobre

second part (after pero) is not alternative to the first statement because it relates to a different person

Es rico pero no lo save

second part (after pero) relates to the same person but is not the alternative to the first part.

Hope that clrifies it somewhat.


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## Bienvenidos

Sino is usually used like this

Negative Phrase (-) *sino* positive phrase (+)

No vine a trabajar (-), sino a descansar (+).

*Bien*


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## ARrocket8

¿Hay una diferencia entre "pero" y "sino?" Entiendo que los dos significan "but" en inglés, pero no estoy seguro cuando se usa cada palabra.


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## Pey

Podes comprar la pelota blanca, sino la negra.
Podes comprar la pelota blanca pero no la negra.


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## unspecified

If you can replace "but" with "yet" or "still" or "however" use pero (_It's not the best way, but it's OK -> No es que sea la mejor manera, pero está bien_).

If you can't, use "sino" (which has a meaning like "instead" or "except"):
_It's not a dog, but a cat. No es un perro sino un gato._
_No one but me came. Nadie, sino yo, vino._

_That's not my favorite, but this one is. -> ése no es mi preferido, sino éste._
_That's not my favorite, but it'll take it (anyway). -> ése no es mi preferido, pero me lo llevo (de todos modos)._


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## ARrocket8

unspecified said:


> If you can replace "but" with "yet" or "still" or "however" use pero (_It's not the best way, but it's OK -> No es que sea la mejor manera, pero está bien_).
> 
> If you can't, use "sino" (which has a meaning like "instead" or "except"):
> _It's not a dog, but a cat. No es un perro sino un gato._
> _No one but me came. Nadie, sino yo, vino._
> 
> _That's not my favorite, but this one is. -> ése no es mi preferido, sino éste._
> _That's not my favorite, but it'll take it (anyway). -> ése no es mi preferido, pero me lo llevo (de todos modos)._


 

Muchas gracias.


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## Khala

De mi poema:

"No quiero estar solo ni independiente,
*Pero* estar contigo hoy y adelante."

¿Lo escribí bien?


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## Karinha

Yo diria "No quiero estar solo ni independiente, sino contigo de hoy y adelante."


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## jmx

Karinha said:


> Yo diria "No quiero estar solo ni independiente, sino contigo de hoy *en* adelante."


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## Magmod

¿Cuál es la frase correcta?:

No vino Juan *pero* Juanita
No vino Juan *sino* Juanita


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## aceituna

No vino Juan *sino* Juanita.

El uso de pero = sino está en desuso.

Saludos.


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## SamanthainLA

No vino Juan pero *sí *Juanita 
No vino Juan sino Juanita 
No vino Juan, Juanita sí. 
No vino Juan pero Juanita


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## aceituna

> *pero(**3)**.*
> (Del lat. _per hoc_).
> *3. *conj. advers. desus. *sino* (para contraponer a un concepto negativo otro positivo).
> _Real Academia Española © Todos los derechos reservados_​


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## Magmod

SamanthainLA said:


> No vino Juan pero Juanita


Muchas gracias Aceituna y Samanthain 
¿Pero se puede decir:

No vino Juan pero vino Juanita ?


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## aceituna

Magmod said:


> No vino Juan pero vino Juanita.


 
Pero me gusta más: no vino Juan sino que vino Juanita.


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## SamanthainLA

Yo prefiero:
No vino Juan, sino Juanita
No vino Juan, pero sí Juanita


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## aceituna

SamanthainLA said:


> Yo prefiero:
> No vino Juan, sino Juanita
> No vino Juan, pero sí Juanita


 
Yo también.

(Mi "preferencia" del mensaje 6 se refería a cuando se quiera repetir el verbo, como en el ejemplo de Magmod del mensaje 5).


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## mhp

Juan no vino, pero Juanita sí. (Dar información).
No vino Juan sino Juanita. (Corregir un error)


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## aceituna

mhp said:


> Juan no vino, pero Juanita sí. (Dar información).
> No vino Juan sino Juanita. (Corregir un error)


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## NewdestinyX

Magmod said:


> ¿Cuál es la frase correcta?:
> No vino Juan *pero* Juanita
> No vino Juan *sino* Juanita



Pero = but (nevertheless)
Sino = but (rather/instead)

Thinking that way has never failed me in choosing the correct one.

Chao,
Grant


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## Magmod

NewdestinyX said:


> Pero = but (nevertheless)
> Sino = but (rather/instead)
> 
> Thinking that way has never failed me in choosing the correct one.


Surely you're not saying that :

No vino Juan *pero* Juanita
is correct?


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## Kangy

^ No, he isn't saying that


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## NewdestinyX

Magmod said:


> Surely you're not saying that :
> No vino Juan *pero* Juanita
> is correct?



Of course not.. "Juan didn't come but nevertheless Juanita" -- is gibberish in the English. Completely nonsensical. Therefore 'pero' couldn't be used in the Spanish either. Trust me -- works every time in deciding which one to use. Whichever one works in the English and makes perfect sense -- that's the one in the Spanish.

Grant


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## Magmod

NewdestinyX said:


> Of course not.. "Juan didn't come but nevertheless Juanita" -- is gibberish in the English. Completely nonsensical. Therefore 'pero' couldn't be used in the Spanish either. Trust me -- works every time in deciding which one to use. Whichever one works in the English and makes perfect sense -- that's the one in the Spanish.
> 
> Grant


I'm glad it works for you Grant 
However:

Juan didn't come but nevertheless Juanita *came *
does make sense to me


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## Kangy

^ But notice you actually have to *add* something else to the phrase for it to make sense 

It's the same in Spanish. If you add something else, then it does make sense:

-Juan no vino pero Juanita *vino*.


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## Magmod

Kangy said:


> ^ But notice you actually have to *add* something else to the phrase for it to make sense
> 
> It's the same in Spanish. If you add something else, then it does make sense:
> 
> -Juan no vino pero Juanita *vino*.


But also notice you can easily say:

Juan didn't come but *rather *Juanita *came.*
in which case you can't use sino
The problem with:

Pero = but (nevertheless)
Sino = but (rather/instead)
is that you can use *but* on its own or in combination with nevertheless, rather/instead


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## NewdestinyX

Magmod said:


> I'm glad it works for you Grant
> However:
> Juan didn't come but nevertheless Juanita *came *
> does make sense to me


Mag -- surely you don't think that's the same as the sentence without 'came' - as was the translation of the original Spanish? As I said -- if you do the test in English -- phrase for phrase from the Spanish -- It works' every time'. And in Spanish the exact translation of your sentence there, with 'came' added, would be perfect Spanish with 'pero'.

Juan didn't come *but nevertheless* Juanita came
Juan no vino *pero* Juanita sí vino. 

It's important to compare apples to apples. 

"Sino" is used for direct contrasts. 

No quiero ésa sino la verde.
No quiero ésa pero sí (quiero) la otra.. 

In the 2nd one, there is no contrast. When you added the 'came' (2nd appearance of the same verb) then it changed the syntax entirely in the English and the Spanish.
Pero, like nevertheless, is a conjunction that joins independent clauses.
Sino, also a conjunction, adds a contrast phrase that cannot stand on its own -- just like 'but rather'.
That's why the test works - every time. 

John didn't come but rather Juanita. (in his stead)
Juan no vino sino Juanita (por él) *[direct contrast]*
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John didn't come but nevertheless Juanita came. (at least one of them did)
Juan no vino pero sí (vino) Juanita.  (al menos uno vino) *[two independent clauses joined by a conjunction]*

Grant


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## NewdestinyX

Magmod said:


> But also notice you can easily say:
> Juan didn't come but *rather *Juanita *came.*
> in which case you can't use sino
> The problem with:
> Pero = but (nevertheless)
> Sino = but (rather/instead)
> is that you can use *but* on its own or in combination with nevertheless, rather/instead



Well the first sentence in blue there is not natural in the English I speak. But it is grammatical.. BUT --
you have to compare the 'exact sentence in English with the exact one in Spanish for the test to work.
It's like Kangy said when you "add something" -- in this case another verb to make the second phrase
an independent clause -- then the ability to use 'sino' goes away.

I should have been more precise. The test is -- to analyze the English you want to go over into the
Spanish. If you can add the 'rather' or 'nevertheless' without changing anything else in the translation
-- and it makes sense -- then you have your choice between pero and sino.

You want to say:
John didn't come but Mary.
TRY: John didn't come but nevertheless Mary. ???  (no way)
TRY: John didn't come but rather Mary.  (that's it -- has to be SINO)

John didn't come but Mary came. 
TRY: John didn't come but rather Mary came ?? (weird at best but possible)
TRY: John didn't come but nevertheless Mary came.  (much more natural - has to be PERO)

A more grammatical way to test it is: Note whether there's an independent clause second --
If so - it has to be pero -- not sino in the Spanish version. Also if you pull away the first part
of the sentence, "But rather Mary came" -- is pretty weird on its own. "But nevertheless Mary came."
is a very natural sentence. 

Now with SINO QUE you have to look a little closer -- because that also introduces an independent
clause - but the whole clause after sino que is a contrast.

_ No hice eso cada día sino que intenté hacerlo dos días al mes._
And only 'but rather' would translate that to English.

Grant


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## Kangy

We're complicating it too much. There have already been very good explanations of when to use *pero* and when to use *sino*, and I think it's quite clear.


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## NewdestinyX

Kangy said:


> We're complicating it too much. There have already been very good explanations of when to use *pero* and when to use *sino*, and I think it's quite clear.


It's actually one of the hardest distictions for non Spanish speakers to make, Kangy. I understand Magmod's confusions. It took me a long while to get comfortable with the difference. It's as hard for us as it is for most Spanish speakers to learn the auxiliary verb "do" and "doesn't/don't" in English. This is one of the last things for non native speakers of English to learn. And the different between "no" and "not". Pero and sino are that hard for non natives. But there are some excellent discussions about it on the forum. Agreed.

Grant


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