Connectors of Addition and Contrast

Building correct sentences is one thing; getting them to argue a case is another. The tools for that job are discourse connectors - the linking words that let you add a point, or turn the reader the other way. Master a dozen of them and your Spanish stops sounding like a list and starts sounding like prose.

Connectors that add: piling on more

When you want to stack a second idea on the first, reach for the additive connectors:

• además (moreover, besides) - the workhorse. Es barato; además, es bonito. (It is cheap; besides, it is pretty.)
• asimismo (likewise, similarly) - formal, common in writing. El curso enseña gramática; asimismo, ofrece práctica oral. (The course teaches grammar; likewise, it offers speaking practice.)
• es más (what is more) - raises the stakes. No me llamó; es más, ni siquiera respondió. (He did not call me; what is more, he did not even reply.)
• incluso (even) - adds an extreme case. Todos vinieron, incluso el jefe. (Everyone came, even the boss.)
• encima (on top of that) - informal, often with a note of complaint. Llegó tarde y, encima, sin disculparse. (He arrived late and, on top of that, without apologising.)
• también (also) - the plainest of all, used mid-sentence rather than as an opener.

Connectors that contrast: turning the other way

The contrastive connectors are where writers earn their keep. The big three come first:

• sin embargo (however, nevertheless) - neutral, works everywhere. Estudié mucho; sin embargo, no aprobé. (I studied hard; however, I did not pass.)
• no obstante (however, nevertheless) - same meaning, more formal. El plan es caro; no obstante, es necesario. (The plan is expensive; nevertheless, it is necessary.)
• pero (but) - the basic conjunction, covered on its own; unlike the others it sits at the join and cannot move.

Then a wider set for finer shades:

• en cambio (on the other hand) - compares two things. Yo prefiero el té; ella, en cambio, el café. (I prefer tea; she, on the other hand, coffee.)
• por el contrario / al contrario (on the contrary) - contradicts and replaces the last statement. No es aburrido; al contrario, es fascinante. (It is not boring; on the contrary, it is fascinating.)
• mientras que (whereas) - contrasts two facts in one sentence. Él ahorra, mientras que ella gasta. (He saves, whereas she spends.)
• aun así (even so) - concedes a point, then presses on. Es difícil; aun así, lo intentaré. (It is hard; even so, I will try.)
• a pesar de eso / pese a ello (despite that) - Llovía; a pesar de eso, salimos. (It was raining; despite that, we went out.)
• ahora bien (that said) - a gentle pivot. El diseño es bonito; ahora bien, es poco práctico. (The design is pretty; that said, it is not very practical.)
• de todos modos / de todas formas (anyway, in any case) - waves the objection aside. No importa; de todos modos, ya es tarde. (Never mind; anyway, it is late now.)

The register table

Not every connector suits every setting. An essay wants no obstante; a text message wants encima. Pick to fit:

Connectors are not conjunctions

Here is the point that trips up learners. A conjunction like pero or y joins clauses inside a sentence and stays put at the join. A discourse connector behaves more like an adverb: it comments on the whole sentence, usually sits off behind a comma, and can move around.

• Sin embargo, no vino. (However, he did not come.)
• No vino, sin embargo. (He did not come, however.)
• No vino, sin embargo, a la reunión. (He did not come, however, to the meeting.)

All three are fine. That mobility is why sin embargo takes a comma and pero does not, and why you cannot simply swap one for the other without fixing the punctuation. If in doubt, park the connector at the front with a comma - it is always safe there.

The aunque trap: fact versus supposition

Aunque deserves its own warning, because the mood of the following verb changes what it means.

• aunque + indicative = although (a fact). Aunque llueve, salgo. (Although it is raining, I am going out - it really is raining.)
• aunque + subjunctive = even if (a supposition). Aunque llueva, salgo. (Even if it rains, I am going out - it may or may not.)

So the verb does the work: indicative for a fact you accept, subjunctive for a possibility you merely allow. Getting this wrong reverses your meaning, which is why it is worth drilling on its own. The full subjunctive story lives on the adverbial clauses page.

Common mistakes English speakers make

Forgetting the comma. Connectors need one: Sin embargo, no vino, not "Sin embargo no vino". Without it the sentence reads as a run-on.

Treating sin embargo like pero. They are not swappable. Pero joins at the join and takes no comma; sin embargo floats and takes a comma. "No vino pero, ..." is wrong.

Mixing up en cambio and por el contrario. En cambio compares two things; por el contrario cancels and replaces the last claim. Only reach for por el contrario when you are actually contradicting.

Learn a handful of these, honour the comma, and your writing will start to argue rather than merely list.

See also

• Connectors of cause and consequence - porque, por eso, así que and the rest, for building reasons and results.
• The subjunctive in adverbial clauses - the full aunque story, plus para que, antes de que and the other triggers.
• Pero, sino and sino que - the everyday conjunctions of contrast that sit alongside these connectors.
• The Spanish grammar cheatsheet collects the addition and contrast connectors with their registers on one card.