grammar.conjunctions.pero-sino
Pero vs sino: two kinds of 'but'
Pero adds a qualification (es caro, pero bueno); sino replaces after a negation (no es caro, sino barato). Before a conjugated verb: sino que.
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Explanation
Spanish splits English 'but' in two. Pero adds a qualification or contrast to a statement: es caro, pero bueno; no vino, pero llamó. Sino replaces a negated element with the correct one — 'not X but (rather) Y': no es caro, sino barato; no quiero café, sino té.
The key requirement: sino needs a preceding negation and expresses a substitution. The test is whether you could say 'but rather' in English — if so, it's sino; otherwise pero.
When what follows the contrast is a full conjugated clause, sino becomes sino que: no solo llegó tarde, sino que olvidó todo; no lo dijo, sino que lo gritó. (French speakers: sino ≈ 'mais' in the corrective sense, after a negation.)
Examples
I don't want coffee, but (rather) tea.
Region: global
It's small, but comfortable.
Region: global
It's not a technical problem, but a communication one.