B1 · Questions and negation
pero, sino and sino que
English uses «but» for two different jobs — Spanish gives each job its own word.
At a glance
- Remember
- Where «but rather» fits, it is sino — before a whole clause, sino que.
- Form
- Es caro, pero muy bueno.but (limiting)
- Signal words
- no
- no solo
- sino
- sino que
- pero
- Trap
- Wrong:No es médico, pero enfermero.Right:No es médico, sino enfermero.
Your turn
5 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.
The form
The patterns at a glance
Each row first says when or what the pattern is used for, then gives an example in Spanish.
| but (limiting) | Es caro, pero muy bueno. |
| but rather (replacing) | No es rojo, sino azul. |
| but rather, with its own verb | No lo compró, sino que lo alquiló. |
| not only … but also | Habla no solo inglés, sino también chino. |
| not only … but also (clause) | No solo canta, sino que también baila. |
| but, after a negation | No es caro, pero tampoco es barato. |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
pero limits without cancelling what came before.
Es un piso pequeño, pero muy luminoso.The flat is small, but very bright.
sino replaces what was denied before it.
No vamos en tren, sino en coche.We are not going by train but by car.
Before a clause with its own verb, it is sino que.
No se quejó, sino que se fue sin decir nada.He did not complain, but left without saying a word.
«Not only …, but also» is no solo …, sino también.
No solo es inteligente, sino también muy amable.She is not only intelligent but also very kind.
Example sentences
No es mi hermano, sino mi primo.He is not my brother but my cousin.
Quería venir, pero no pude.I wanted to come, but I could not.
No lo dijo en serio, sino en broma.He did not mean it seriously but as a joke.
No solo trabaja, sino que también estudia.She not only works but also studies.
6 more example sentences
No quiero té, sino café.I do not want tea but coffee.
Es tarde, pero todavía hay luz.It is late, but it is still light.
No lo terminó, sino que lo dejó a medias.He did not finish it, but left it half done.
No solo llegó tarde, sino que además se olvidó los papeles.Not only did he arrive late, he also forgot the papers.
No vivo en Madrid, sino en las afueras.I do not live in Madrid but on the outskirts.
No es fácil, pero tampoco es imposible.It is not easy, but it is not impossible either.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
English has one «but» for both jobs, so pero goes in after a negation too: No es médico, pero enfermero. What is meant is not a contrast that lets both stand, but a replacement — «not a doctor but a nurse», a nurse instead. That is sino.
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
pero is «but» in the sense of a limit: it adds something that restricts what came before without cancelling it. Es caro, pero bueno. Both hold — expensive and good.
sino is «but» in the sense of «instead»: it replaces what was just denied. No es rojo, sino azul. That is why sino only ever comes after a negation. English says «not red but blue» with the same «but», so the test is «but rather»: where it fits, sino fits.
If sino is followed by a whole clause with its own verb, it becomes sino que: No lo compró, sino que lo alquiló. And «not only …, but also» is no solo …, sino también — before a clause, again with que: No solo canta, sino que también baila.
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