¿Pero vs. Sino (Que)?

Question

Hola! Sale, Paralee dijo en la ultima lección de Español Tres que se usa "pero" cuando la primera parte de la frase es positiva y con comparaciones, y se usa "sino" cuando es negativa y con contradicciones. Pero, ¿no se usa "pero" en frases como, "No quiero ir, pero yo sé que es necesario," o "No entendí lo que él estaba haciendo, pero fue muy divertido"?

Gracias amigos!

Answer 1

I think of "pero" as "but" and "sino" as "but rather". You use "sino que" when a conjugated verb follows it.

Same here. - TheSilentHero, May 27, 2011

Exactly. - lazarus1907, May 28, 2011

Answer 2

Ese es el problema con aprender por el método de reglas. "Pero" is the classic "but": implies some sort of objection, problem, or reason why the first part of the statement may not be entirely true. In that spirit, it may be substituted by "however".

"Sino" is used exclusively for statement of contrast, where two options are compared. It's not this , but that.

Answer 3

Can I give two easy examples to see if I get them correct?

No me gusta el abrigo negro, pero voy a tomarlo.

El abrigo no es blanco, sino es negro y no lo quiero.

Correction: El abrigo no es blanco, sino que es negro y no lo quiero.

I think the second example should be "sino que", but I'm not positive. Anybody know? - arh1, May 27, 2011

Because it comes before a conjugated verb like you said? - Tosh, May 27, 2011

I agree with arh1. "Sino que" becuase it's between two verbs! Yes? - Sara-Beth, May 27, 2011

I asked Gekkosan to check it out. :) - Tosh, May 27, 2011

But of course anybody else can comment, too! ;) - Tosh, May 27, 2011

"sino que" is correct. - pescador1, May 27, 2011

Thank you! Is that always the case when using sino, or just before a conjugated verb? - Tosh, May 27, 2011

Oh... and is the rest of the grammar correct? I was practicing my direct objects, too. :) - Tosh, May 27, 2011

Yes, "sino que" before a conjugated verb. The rest looks good! - pescador1, May 27, 2011

Gracias, otra vez! -or- Gracias, de nuevo! I don't know which is correct. - Tosh, May 27, 2011

Los dos son correctos. - pescador1, May 27, 2011

Just one tiny thing: - 002067fe, May 27, 2011

"El abrigo no es blanco, sino negro..." - 002067fe, May 27, 2011

"If the coat were both black and white: "El abrigo no sólo es blanco, sino que también es negro." - 002067fe, May 27, 2011

What Tom said. - Gekkosan, May 28, 2011

Answer 4

Just an aside, regarding the pronunciation of "sino". I always said: SEE-no, but whilst in Cuba last Fall, everyone, especially on the television news says: see-NO, ie the emphasis is on the last part. Just curious, sorry, don't mean to derail this thread. Thanks.

SEE-no does not sound like Spanish, but Spanish with strong foreign accent. The correct pronunciation is /'sino/ - lazarus1907, May 28, 2011

Many thanks, lazarus! - Sheily, May 28, 2011

Answer 5

Another way in which sino and sino que are used is in statements of the type "Not only.....but also (furthermore)...." Por ejemplo: "No sólo es bonita, sino que también (además) es inteligente" - "Not only is she beautiful, but also (furthermore) she is intelligent"

Answer 6

Thanks guys! I knew that "rather" did not fit in, but I figured I'd check to be sure my ears weren't deceiving me before I made a fool of myself too many times