5 minutos de español / 5 minutes of Spanish / Los conectores: Pero y además. English & Spanish version- Podcast

 

How are you? Good morning, good afternoon or good evening depending on where you are or what time you are listening to us.

 

In these 5 minutes of Spanish in the middle of the week we are going to reflect on 2 connectors that we use a lot in Spanish: "además" and "pero".

 

In English “además” means: besides, moreover

And “pero” means: but

 

But, what are connectors?

 

They are words or groups of words that serve to link ideas by clearly expressing how they are related to each other.

 

What is their function?

 

As their name indicates, they are used to connect different parts of the text, whether they are words, sentences or even complete paragraphs.

 

So, a good use of connectors gives greater coherence to the text.

 

Yes, in this way they help to interpret it.

 

We can use connectors in written texts as well as in oral expressions.

 

There are many types of connectors, today we are only going to reflect on addition connectors, which are those that allow us to add information, to continue talking about a topic or to present additional elements.

For example: y, además, también, (and, besides, too)

 

And those of opposition that introduce opposite or contradictory ideas. They express different contrasting relations between statements.

Examples: pero, sin embargo, a pesar de todo, en cierto modo. (But, nevertheless, nonetheless, somewhat)

 

Let's give some examples of adding connectors:

Es bueno escuchar el podcast y leerlo al mismo tiempo.

It is good to listen to the podcast and read it at the same time.

 

SpanishUp2U es genial tiene podcasts y videos, también tiene ejercicios de gramática además tiene talleres presenciales todas las semanas.

SpanishUp2U is great, it has podcasts and videos, it also has grammar exercises and it has face-to-face workshops every week.

 

Gracias por dejarnos pasar la tanda publicitaria pero es de utilidad para mostrar el uso de los conectores.

 

Thanks for letting us pass on the ad but it's helpful to show the usage of the connectors.

 

But you said we were going to talk about two connectors: “además” and “pero”

 

Well, let's just look at examples with “además”

 

La tienda nueva tiene buenos precios y además tiene buena atención.

The new store has good prices and good customer service.

 

In other words, it unites two positive aspects.

We can also say:

Ese suéter está descolorido además te queda chico.

That sweater is faded and it's too small for you.

In this case it unites two negative aspects.

 

Los conectores son muy necesarios además te ayudan a comunicarte mejor

Connectors are very necessary and they help you communicate better.

 

Los conectores son un poco aburridos además solo tenemos 5 minutos

The connectors are a little boring and we only have 5 minutes.

 

And what about “pero”?

 

It is very important to say “pero” with only one r because if it has two r's it is “perro” which in Spanish says guau, guau.

 

“Pero” is but and “perro” is dog.

 

“Pero” is an opposing connector that unites a negative and a positive aspect:

 

Me gusta este vestido pero es un poco caluroso para Los Cabos

I like this dress but it's a little warm for Los Cabos.

 

El pantalón te queda bien pero está fuera de moda.

The pants fit you well but they are out of style.

 

Queremos hablar más contigo pero te dijimos que eran 5 minutos

We want to talk more with you but we told you it was 5 minutes.

 

Thank you very much for making it this far in the podcast. We invite you to join our classes and workshops.

We also ask you to share it if you like it.

See you soon.

See you later. Bye-bye