But in Spanish: Express opposition beyond Pero

Many learners are familiar with pero as an easy translation of but in Spanish, but we actually have a number of other alternatives that can be used in similar ways. Learning other Spanish words for but can give speakers more flexibility and nuance in daily conversations, as well as in formal writing, so we’ve designed this post to explore several other options.

So how do you say but in Spanish beyond the simple pero? While we’ve already seen pero in our beginner post on Spanish connectors, as well as in our longer post on Spanish conjunctions, today’s post will focus solely on alternative words for but in Spanish.

So let’s dive into the various ways to say but in Spanish!

Pero

As we mentioned above, pero is the most straightforward and widely-used way to say but in Spanish. Pero is by far the most versatile word on this list! In reality, it appears in almost every type of context, from casual conversations to formal writing.

Since pero can be used as a conjunction, as an interjection, or within a common idiomatic expression, we’ll break down its use into these specific sections. We’ll also clear up a common mistake that many learners make, differentiating clearly between pero and perro!

Pero as a conjunction

As a conjunction, pero functions similarly to its English counterpart of but, introducing something that contrasts with or acts as an exception to the previous statement. In other words, we use the conjunction pero in Spanish to indicate some contrast between two ideas, actions, or situations that seem opposing or contradictory.

• Quería ir al cine, pero tenía que trabajar. – She wanted to go to the movies, but she had to work.

• Yo estudié mucho, pero no pasé el examen. – I studied hard, but I didn’t pass the exam.

Pero as an interjection

Another way to use pero is as an interjection or exclamation. In general, we use interjections in Spanish to get someone’s attention or to express emotions. Our Spanish pero in this context triggers the use of double exclamation marks: an inverted one at the beginning of the exclamation, and a regular one at the end.

When used as an interjection, pero can express a wide range of emotions, from surprise and disbelief to mild frustration, shock, impatience, or strong feelings. This versatility adds to the emotional aspect of communication.

Pero as an exclamation doesn’t necessarily introduce a contrast, but rather adds emotional emphasis to a statement. It is similar to saying well, come on, or but really in English.

• !Pero cómo puede ser posible esto! – But how can this be possible!

• ¡Pero claro, eso es lo que quería decir! – Well of course, that’s what I meant!

Sin decir pero

Sin decir pero is an idiomatic expression used across many Spanish-speaking countries which, taken together, has its own meaning beyond the literal translation of its three words: without to say but.

Good idiomatic translations of sin decir pero include without making excuses or without objections. It’s normally used to encourage someone to do something without hesitation, excuses, or resistance, so an idiomatic equivalent in English is no ifs, ands, or buts.

• Quiero que limpies tu cuarto, sin decir pero. – I want you to clean your room, no ifs, ands, or buts.

• Sin decir pero, la niña terminó su cena. – Without saying a thing, the girl finished her dinner.

Pero vs Perro

We’ll add this little caveat here, since these two words are often confused by Spanish learners. Is it perro or pero!?

Pero in Spanish, with one R, is always used as we’ve seen in the sections above, generally meaning but.

Un perro in Spanish, with two Rs, is the word for a dog. Don’t get these mixed up!

When it comes to pronunciation, pero is a bit shorter, with a quick tap of the tongue on the roof of the mouth to enunciate the single R. Perro is more drawn out, ideally with a rolling of the RR sound on the roof of the mouth. Check out our post on how to roll your Rs in Spanish for a good lesson on differentiating the two.

And if you love dogs as much as we do here at BaseLang, you may also be interested in some of our other posts where we feature perros! There’s one on Spanish dog commands, another with popular dog names in Spanish, a general one with animal names in Spanish, and another with Spanish animal sounds like guau guau for dogs!

Sino

Sino is another of the most common ways to say but in Spanish. However, it can only be used in contexts that are distinct from where we can use pero. We have a dedicated post where we examine when to use pero vs sino, so we’ll just sum up the basics here.

We’ll start with using sino on its own, and then look at using sino que with conjugated verbs.

Sino

Sino in Spanish is used to express contrast between two statements, but only where one of them is negative and the other option is positive. With this in mind, sino is often translated as but rather or simply as rather. We use sino in contexts where, in English, you have the option of introducing the positive statement with on the contrary.

• Mi mamá no viene hoy, sino mañana. – My mom is not coming today, but rather tomorrow.

• Las manzanas que compré no están maduras, sino podridas. – The apples I bought are not ripe, but rather rotten.

Sino que

Sino que in Spanish is used similarly to sino, but we add the que for statements that include a conjugated verb. Sino que therefore introduces a full clause that contrasts with the previous one.

Sino que can translate to but rather or but instead, and its focus is on the action. The key difference between sino and sino que comes down to whether we have a conjugated verb in the second clause.

• Yo no fui a su casa, sino que ella vino a la mía. – I didn’t go to her house, but rather she came to mine.

• Ella no quiere trabajar, sino que quiere descansar. – She doesn’t want to work, but instead, she wants to rest.

Sin embargo

Compared with pero, sin embargo is much more of a formal option for how to say but in Spanish. Closer translations of sin embargo include however or nevertheless, underlining its formality compared with pero.

Sin embargo introduces a strong contradiction or contrast between two ideas, often emphasizing an unexpected result compared with the previous statement. With its strong contrast, sin embargo therefore adds a more formal tone than pero, making it more suitable for written Spanish as well as for formal spoken contexts.

• Nuestro equipo jugó muy bien, sin embargo, perdimos el partido. – Our team played very well, however, we lost the game.

• Mi jefe estaba muy ocupado, sin embargo, pudo terminar el proyecto. – My boss was very busy, nevertheless, he was able to finish the project.

No obstante

Like sin embargo, no obstante is another formal way to say but in Spanish. Likewise, no obstante is also better translated as however or nevertheless.

So what’s the difference between sin embargo and no obstante? While both can be used to introduce a contrast or an exception, no obstante also carries a tone of concession. We use it to concede that something else happens or is true, despite the preceding fact or obstacle. No obstante translations along these lines can therefore include despite or despite this.

• El presidente prometió cambiar la situación económica del país; no obstante, los resultados no han sido los esperados. – The president promised to change the economic situation of the country; however, the results have not been as expected.

• El paciente tenía mucho dolor de espalda; no obstante, fue dado de alta. – The patient had a lot of back pain; nevertheless, he was discharged.

Aunque

Aunque in Spanish typically translates into English as although or even though. It carries a tone of concession or opposition, though its primary function is to indicate contrast.

Aunque adds a bit more depth than pero, suggesting that one idea exists despite the other.

• Aunque no me gusta bailar, fui a la fiesta. – Even though I don’t like dancing, I went to the party. – I don’t like dancing, but I went to the party.

• Aunque el clima no era perfecto, ella disfrutó el viaje. – Though the weather wasn’t perfect, she enjoyed the trip. – The weather wasn’t perfect, but she enjoyed the trip.

Excepto, Salvo

Excepto and salvo are synonyms that can be used interchangeably, with translations that include but not, except for, or except. Like these English counterparts, excepto and salvo in Spanish are used to indicate that whatever they introduce is excluded from the previous statement. In other words, they’re used to introduce exceptions.

• Todos mis amigos bailaron en la fiesta, excepto Carlos. – All my friends danced at the party, except Carlos.

• A mi mamá le gustan las frutas, salvo la sandía. – My mom likes fruits, but not watermelon.

Note that although they’re considered to be prepositions, excepto and salvo are exceptions to the rule whereby we need to use prepositional pronouns after them; we use subject pronouns instead. So rather than using mí or ti after them, for example, we would say excepto yo or salvo tú.

Menos

Menos in Spanish has several uses, one of which can sometimes be translated as but in Spanish. It’s also used as an adjective meaning less, or as a Spanish math term meaning minus.

When we use menos in contexts where it could translate as but in Spanish, its meaning is more along the lines of except. Menos is therefore a very casual or informal alternative to excepto or salvo, generally reserved for everyday conversations. Here, menos indicates that one thing is excluded from the previous statement.

• Mi novia come de todo, menos comida picante. – My girlfriend eats everything but spicy food.

• Todos van a viajar en navidad, menos yo. – Everyone is going to travel for Christmas, except me.

Conclusion: But in Spanish

Well done! We’ve just gone through the whole range of options for saying but in Spanish, from the typical to the formal to the uncommon. Let’s do a quick recap before we say goodbye.

We first learned that the main Spanish but is pero, and the versatility of this word allows us to use it as a conjunction, an exclamation, and in the idiomatic expression sin decir pero, meaning no ifs, ands, or buts. Then we saw sino, the common counterpart to pero that’s used to contrast negative statements, including its use as sino que with conjugated verbs.

The rest of the post looked at alternative options for expressing but in Spanish. We started with the formal expressions of sin embargo and no obstante, which translate more as however or nevertheless. Then came aunque, which expresses opposition better as a translation of even though. The last few words, excepto, salvo, and menos, had translations closer to except or but not, since they introduce exceptions to the preceding phrase.

By choosing between these diverse words for but in Spanish, we’re able to make our conversations more fluid and add important nuances to whatever we’re discussing. Whether we’re chatting casually or writing formally, each one helps us to express contrasts, exceptions, or unexpected outcomes just the right way!

So although pero is probably your go-to word for but in Spanish, we encourage you to branch out next time and try using one of the others that we’ve provided in today’s post, sin decir pero!