🎯 Why This Matters
To connect ideas logically and create flow.
Smooth, connected speech and writing.
🇪🇸 The Challenge
Coordinating vs Subordinating. Spanish conjunctions often differ (y=and, o=or, pero=but are similar), but subordinating conjunctions and their placement cause issues.
🇲🇽🇨🇴🇦🇷 Double negatives
Problem: Spanish requires double negatives (no tengo nada)
Watch out: Saying 'I don't have nothing' instead of 'I don't have anything' or 'I have nothing'
✅ Fix: English: ONE negative only. Either 'don't...anything' OR 'nothing' (not both)
🧠 Mental Note: Choose one: negative verb + positive word, OR positive verb + negative word
🇪🇸 Same double negative trap
Problem: Spain Spanish also requires double negatives
Watch out: No...nunca, no...nada = double negative in Spanish, but wrong in English
✅ Fix: Translate: 'No tengo nada' = 'I don't have anything' or 'I have nothing'
🧠 Visual Explanation (The Mental Fix)
FANBOYS - The Seven Friends
FANBOYS are equals - they connect things of the same type. Think of them as holding hands between equal partners.
🗣️ Pronunciation Guide
How Spanish speakers should pronounce this structure:
AND reduction
Spanish Habit: Pronouncing 'and' fully as /ænd/
English Reality: AND is almost always reduced to /ən/ or /n/
Examples:
- bread and butter → /bred n ˈbʌtər/
- you and me → /ju ən mi/
- black and white → /blæk ən waɪt/
Practice: Native speakers rarely say 'AND' clearly - it's usually just 'n'
📖 How It Works
Teacher Recommendation: Self-study friendly
Time Investment: 3 hours
🔑 Signal Words (Memory Anchors)
These words/phrases appear with this structure:
| English | Spanish | Example |
|---|---|---|
| and | y | bread and butter / pan y mantequilla |
| but | pero | I tried but failed / Intenté pero fallé |
| or | o | coffee or tea / café o té |
| so | así que / entonces | I was late, so I ran / Llegaba tarde, así que corrí |
| yet | sin embargo / pero | simple yet effective / simple pero efectivo |
💬 Real Examples
Let's see this structure in action with correct vs incorrect usage:
Example 1: YET vs BUT - subtle difference
✅ CORRECT: "He's rich, yet he's unhappy."
🇪🇸 Translation: "Es rico, pero es infeliz. (sin embargo)"
❌ COMMON MISTAKE: "He's rich, but yet he's unhappy."
Why wrong? Don't use BUT and YET together - they're both contrast conjunctions
Example 2: FOR as a conjunction (not preposition)
✅ CORRECT: "He left early, for he was tired."
🇪🇸 Translation: "Se fue temprano, porque estaba cansado."
❌ COMMON MISTAKE: "He left early for he was tired. (missing comma)"
Why wrong? FOR as conjunction needs comma before it
Example 3: Neither...nor construction
✅ CORRECT: "She speaks neither French nor German."
🇪🇸 Translation: "Ella no habla ni francés ni alemán."
❌ COMMON MISTAKE: "She doesn't speak neither French nor German."
Why wrong? NEITHER already includes negation. Don't add 'not/don't'
✏️ Practice Exercises
Ready to test your understanding? Let's practice!