Sino or pero: the two Spanish buts

Sino or pero

Both are "but". Pero adds a contrast to something that still stands. Sino throws out what you just denied and puts the right thing in its place, so it always follows a negative:

The third pero row is the trap: a negative in front does not force sino. Ask whether the second half replaces the first. "But rather" or "but instead" in English: sino. "But still" or "however": pero.

12

1. 1Ella lee.
2. 2No lee, sino que juega al fútbol.

Ella lee: she is reading. No lee, sino que juega al fútbol: he isn't reading; he's playing football instead.

Sino que and no solo... sino también

Before a conjugated verb, sino becomes sino que. Before a word or a phrase, it stays sino:

The same sino builds "not only... but also":

• No solo es inteligente, sino también amable. - He/She is not only clever but also kind.
• No solo canta, sino que también baila. - He/She not only sings but dances too.