Ever found yourself staring at a sentence, wondering whether to use pero, sino, or the mysterious sino que? You're not alone! These little words can be tricky, but mastering them is a huge step towards sounding more natural in Spanish. Check out our guide on connectors and sequence words.
Today, we're going to unravel the mystery of sino que. By the end of this post, you'll understand exactly when and how to use it, turning confusion into confidence.
¡Vamos! Let's get started.
The Foundation: Understanding No... Sino
Before we can tackle sino que, we first need to get comfortable with its simpler sibling, sino.
The structure no... sino is used to correct or contrast a negative statement. Think of it as meaning "not... but rather" or "not... but instead." The key here is that the first part of the sentence must be negative.
Sino connects words or phrases of the same type, like:
- Nouns:
No quiero agua, sino jugo.(I don't want water, but rather juice.) - Adjectives:
Él no es antipático, sino tímido.(He isn't unfriendly, but rather shy.) - Adverbs:
No llegaste tarde, sino temprano.(You didn't arrive late, but rather early.) - Infinitives (verbs ending in -ar, -er, -ir):
No quiero hablar, sino escuchar.(I don't want to talk, but rather listen.)
Drag the handle to compare
Notice how sino simply replaces one idea (rojo) with a corrected one (azul). Simple enough, right?
The Main Event: Introducing Sino Que
So, where does sino que fit in? The rule is surprisingly simple.
You use sino que when the part of the sentence that follows it is a new clause with a conjugated verb.
Let's break that down. A "clause" is just a fancy word for a part of a sentence that has its own subject and verb. The "que" is your signal that a new, complete idea with a conjugated verb is coming up.
The structure looks like this:
[Negative Statement], sino que [New Clause with a Conjugated Verb]
Let's see it in action:
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Example 1:
No fuimos a la playa, sino que **nos quedamos** en casa.- Translation: We didn't go to the beach, but rather we stayed at home.
- Here,
nos quedamosis a conjugated verb, so we needsino que.
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Example 2:
Ella no estudia para el examen, sino que **mira** la televisión.- Translation: She isn't studying for the exam, but instead she watches television.
Mirais a conjugated verb, signaling the need forsino que.
The Golden Rule
If you see a conjugated verb after the "but rather," you need sino que. If you see a noun, adjective, or infinitive, you just need sino. The que is your cue for a verb!
Sino vs. Sino Que: A Side-by-Side Look
Let's compare two similar sentences to make the difference crystal clear.
-
With
sino(connecting infinitives):No quiero <VocabHighlight translation="to cook">cocinar</VocabHighlight>, **sino** <VocabHighlight translation="to order">pedir</VocabHighlight> una pizza.(I don't want to cook, but rather to order a pizza.) Here,cocinarandpedirare both infinitives. -
With
sino que(connecting clauses with conjugated verbs):No <VocabHighlight translation="I cook">cocino</VocabHighlight> esta noche, **sino que** <VocabHighlight translation="I order">pido</VocabHighlight> una pizza.(I'm not cooking tonight, but rather I'm ordering a pizza.) Here,cocinoandpidoare conjugated verbs, sosino queis required.
Let's Practice!
Time to test your new knowledge. See if you can pick the right option.
Mi hermano no juega al fútbol, ___ ve películas.
How about another one?
La película no fue buena, ___ terrible.
Great job! Now, try to build a sentence yourself.
Arrange the words to form a correct sentence:
You've Got This!
See? Sino que isn't so scary after all. Just remember the golden rule: look for the conjugated verb. If it's there, you need sino que. If not, sino will do the trick.
Keep practicing, and soon you'll be using sino and sino que without a second thought. Happy learning! You can practice these structures in context by reading our Spanish stories.