52 Spanish Connecting Words to Sound Like a Native
This list of Spanish connectors will immensely improve your conversational Spanish!
These “connecting words” do precisely that—they connect your ideas to each other and help you to express relationships between one topic and another. With this list of Spanish connectors, you can easily contrast or compare things or ideas, and dramatically improve the efficiency of your communication.
In this article, we cover 4 main groups that total 52 Spanish connectors.
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4 Main Groups of Spanish Connecting Words
This list is grouped into 3 different categories ordered by difficulty and includes a fourth group with super-handy fillers for covering any awkward silences in a conversation.
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12 Basic Spanish Connectors
These connectors are the most basic ones. Use them to join phrases, clauses, and words. They are mainly coordinating conjunctions.
1. además – in addition, moreover
Las manzanas son ricas y, además, saludables.
Apples are delicious and, moreover, healthy.
2. así que – so
Así que, me puse a estudiar para no reprobar otra vez.
So, I began to study so as not to fail again.
3. aún – yet, still
Ya limpié pero aún tengo que cocinar.
I’ve already cleaned, but I still have to cook.
4. hasta – even
Hasta las personas que no saben nadar, pueden divertirse en esta alberca.
Even people that don’t know how to swim can have fun in this swimming pool.
5. ni – nor
No pude ni confirmar ni desmentir la noticia.
I could neither confirm nor deny the news.
6. o/u – or
No sé si quiero dormir o comer.
I don’t know if I want to sleep or eat.
7. para – for, in order to
Para tener éxito, tienes que trabajar más.
To be successful, you need to work more.
If you want to know more about how to use this word, check out When to Use Por versus Para in Spanish: Rules, Chart, and Quiz.
8. pero – but
Me gustan los dulces, pero no los puedo comer.
I like candy, but I can’t eat them.
9. por – for, through, by
Me encanta el agua de jamaica por su sabor.
I love hibiscus water for its flavor.
10. por eso – for that reason, that’s why
Por eso necesitamos cuidar más el planeta.
That’s why we need to take more care of the planet.
11. todavía – yet, still
Todavía no he visto la película más nueva de Guillermo del Toro.
I still haven’t seen the most recent movie by Guillermo del Toro.
12. y – and
He vivido en México y en España, y me encantan los dos lugares.
I have lived in Mexico and Spain, and I love both places.
16 Intermediate Spanish Connectors
Here are some more advanced Spanish connecting words. Sometimes, you need to use more complex grammar structures with them, such as the subjunctive mood.
13. a pesar de – in spite of, despite
A pesar de que tengas razón, no puedo permitirlo.
Although you’re right, I cannot allow it.
14. aparte de – apart from, besides, aside from
Aparte de un departamento amueblado, la compañía proporciona un coche y seguro médico.
Besides a furnished apartment, the company provides a car and medical insurance.
15. aunque – although, even if
Aunque trabajes todo el día, no la vas a terminar.
Even if you work all day, you won’t finish it.
16. de todas formas – anyway
De todas formas no iba a ir.
I wasn’t going to go anyway.
17. de todos modos – anyway
De todos modos no me gustaba.
I didn’t like it anyway.
18. en concreto – in particular, specifically
¿Qué harías tú, en concreto ahora después de haber vivido esta experiencia, para que una situación similar nunca se repita?
What would you do, specifically now after having lived this experience, so that a similar situation would never happen again?
19. en pocas palabras – in short
Es una alumna trabajadora, responsable y amable con sus compañeros; en pocas palabras, un ejemplo para los demás.
She is a hard-working, responsible, and kind student; in short, she is an example to others.
20. en vez de – instead of
Come arroz en vez de patatas.
Eat rice instead of potatoes.
21. hasta que – until
Hasta que te canses, no puedes parar.
Until you get tired, you can’t stop.
22. mientras tanto – in the meantime
Mientras tanto, preparamos las maletas y esperamos su llamada.
In the meantime, we can pack our luggage and wait for their call.
23. por último – lastly
Por último, quiero agradecer a mis padres.
Lastly, I want to thank my parents.
24. primero que nada – first of all
Primero que nada, les quiero pedir perdón por haber llegado tarde.
First of all, I want to apologize for being late.
25. sin embargo – however
Me gusta el café, sin embargo, no lo tomo casi nunca.
I like coffee, however, I almost never drink it.
26. tal como – such as
La empresa vende productos de limpieza tales como detergentes para lavar ropa o platos.
The company sells cleaning products such as laundry and dishwashing detergents.
27. tan pronto como – as soon as
Me despierto tan pronto sale el sol.
I wake up as soon as the sun comes up.
28. ya que – since
No pude terminar la tarea ya que nos cortaron la luz.
I was unable to finish the task as our power was cut off.
16 Spanish Connectors To Impress your Friends
And here are some Spanish connectors that will make you sound like a native speaker.
29. a propósito – by the way
A propósito, ¿quién viene hoy a la cena?
By the way, who is coming tonight for dinner?
30. ah, casi lo olvido – oh, I almost forgot
Ah, casi lo olvido, tenemos que recoger a Juan después de sus clases.
Oh, I almost forgot, we have to pick up Juan after his classes.
31. ahora en serio – seriously now
Pero ahora en serio, ¿quién va a preparar la comida?
But seriously now, who is going to prepare the food?
32. ahora se me ocurre – now it occurs to me
Ahora se me ocurre que podríamos organizar una venta de garaje para tener dinero para el viaje.
Now it occurs to me that we could organize a garage sale to have money for the trip.
33. bromas aparte – jokes aside
Bromas aparte, ¿qué vamos a hacer con esto?
All jokes aside, what are we going to do with this?
34. debo decir – I must say
Debo decir que me sorprendiste bastante con tu actuación.
I must say I was pretty surprised with your performance.
35. en otras palabras – in other words
En otras palabras, no todo lo que brilla es oro.
In other words, all that glitters is not gold.
36. entre tú y yo – between you and me
Entre tú y yo, a mí tampoco me gusta la política de la empresa.
Between you and me, I don’t like the company policy either.
37. no obstante – notwithstanding
Tu enfermedad no es grave, no obstante deberías quedarte en casa.
Your illness is not serious, however, you should stay at home.
38. para ser más preciso – to be more precise
Para ser más preciso, no puedes salir de la casa si no terminas toda tu tarea.
To be more precise, you can’t leave the house if you don’t finish all your homework.
39. por lo que a mí respecta – as far as I am concerned
Por lo que a mí respecta, esta discusión no tiene ningún sentido.
As far as I am concerned, this discussion makes no sense.
40. por otro lado – on the other hand
Por otro lado, sé que te esfuerzas.
On the other hand, I know you’re doing your best.
41. que yo sepa – as far as I know
Que yo sepa, esta tarde no hay clases.
As far as I know, there are no lessons in the afternoon.
42. quiero que sepas que – I want you to know that
Quiero que sepas que te aprecio.
I want you to know that I appreciate you.
43. quisiera recalcar que – I would like to emphasize that
Quisiera recalcar que este cambio nos beneficia a todos.
I would like to emphasize that this change benefits us all.
44. temo que – I’m afraid that
Temo que no tienes elección.
I’m afraid you have no choice.
8 Common Spanish Fillers
Conversational fillers are handy in any language!
Fillers are there for you if you get stuck. You can always gain some time with conversational fillers. They’re also great for filling a pause, or more simply put: they help sound more fluent!
After you finish, don’t forget to look at The Ultimate Guide to Filler Words in Spanish for More Natural Conversations.
45. a ver – let’s see
A ver… ¿Qué es lo que tenemos que hacer?
Let’s see… What do we have to do?
46. bueno – well
Bueno, no digo que no, pero…
Well, I’m not saying no, but…
47. digo – I mean
Digo, ya sé que no es mi asunto, pero me importa igual.
I mean, I know it’s none of my business, but I care anyway.
48. en fin – anyway
En fin, cerremos y vamos a la playa.
Anyway, let’s close and go to the beach.
49. es decir – I mean
Tenemos el examen en tres días, es decir el jueves.
We have the exam in three days, meaning Thursday.
50. es que – but
Es que… ¡no fue mi culpa!
It’s just… it wasn’t my fault!
51. o sea – in other words
Podemos hacerlo juntos, es decir, yo escribo y tú haces la edición.
We can do it together, that is, I write, and you do the editing.
You might like: How to Use ‘O Sea’ to Sound Like a Native Spanish Speaker
52. pues – so
¿Vas a venir a la boda? Pues… no sé, no tengo dinero para el regalo.
Are you coming to the wedding? Well… I don’t know. I don’t have money for the gift.
You might like: How to Use ‘Pues’ in Spanish (and Other Cool Filler Words)
Practice Spanish Connectors in a Conversation
Enough theory, and let’s practice! Get yourself a Spanish-speaking friend, and use as many connecting words as possible.
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