CONNECTORS and LINKERS (= Conectores y nexos)

▪ Having one’s mind made up (with your ideas, clear) is one thing, but another, more difficult thing is to
express them properly, signalling the right relationship between the different sentences and parts of a
sentences (or clauses). That’s what connectors and linkers are used to: to establish the right meaning of
sentences with other sentences or within each sentence. Using the wrong word may lead to
misunderstanding, if not a complete loss of what we are saying. That is why mastering as many connectors as
you can, may help you improve your understanding and expression in English.

▪ Most of these relationships or functions are achieved by means of clauses (= proposiciones), which are
parts of sentences that would be “shaky and weak” (somehow semantically unfinished) without a main clause
to accompany. Some other times they are introduced by phrases (= sintagmas), which are simply groups of
words that do not belong to the sentences, syntactically speaking.

⮚ Expressing PURPOSE or AIM (= Propósito o finalidad):

STRUCTURE TRANSLATION EXAMPLES

“ to ” + infinitive para - He went to Scotland to learn English.

- Ann stayed at home to rest.

“ in order (not) to ” + para (no) - She came to Spain in order to learn

infinitive Spanish. - She left China in order not to
speak Chinese.

“ so as (not) to ” + para (no) - She went to France so as to learn French.

infinitive - She left Brazil so as not to hear Portuguese.

“ so that ” + sentence para que - There is a fire exit so that people will/can leave. -
I’m buying some food so that we can/will have the
fridge full.
- I’ve lit the fire so that the house will warm. -
They’ll make an appointment so that we won’t have
to wait.
- I left a note so that he would know where to find
me.

“ for ” + gerund (V-ing) para - A knife is used for cutting.

- Newspapers are used for reading

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⮚ Expressing REASON or CAUSE (= Razón o causa):
STRUCTURE TRANSLATION EXAMPLES
“ because ” + sentence porque I couldn’t go then because I had to study.

“ since ” + sentence ya que, como Since there wasn’t enough show, they
didn’t go skiing.

“ as ” + sentence como As I am very busy studying for my exams,

I won’t go with you.

“ for ” + sentence ya que, puesto que, He isn’t allowed to smoke for he is still a
pues kid.

“ for ” + gerund (V-ing) por They put him in prison for stealing
forbidden books.

“ because of ” + noun/pronoun a causa de, debido a We couldn’t go because of the storm.

“ due to ” + noun/pronoun a causa de, debido a Due to his bad attitude, he lost his job.

⮚ Expressing RESULT or CONSEQUENCE (= Resultado o consecuencia):

STRUCTURE TRANSLATION EXAMPLES

“ so ” + adjective/adverb + tan…que We were so impatient that we couldn’t

“ that ” wait for them.

“ such ” + (adjective) + tan…que - They had such a big dog that nobody
noun + “ that ” dared to go near their house.
- They had such big dogs that nobody
went near their house.

“ so many ” + plural tantos/as…que There were so many people that we

countable noun + “ that ” couldn’t get into the pub.

“ so much ” + (singular) tanto/a…que He drank so much wine that he got drunk.

uncountable noun + “ that ”

“ so ” así pues, así que, por eso The party was boring, so I left early.

“ as a result/consequence of como/a consecuencia de As a result of the war, the prices of oil and
” + noun phrase bread went up enormously.

“ therefore ” por lo tanto, por - I think, therefore I am.

consiguiente
- They saved the prize money from the

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lottery. Therefore, they were rich.
“ thus ” por lo tanto, así, de este - It should be applied thus.
modo, por consiguiente - She refused to go along with it, thus
provoking her classmates.
- I was only 16 and thus unable to vote or
drive.

“ for this/that reason ” por esta/esa razón I haven’t eaten in 2 days. For this reason,
I’m hungry.

“ that’s why ” por esta/esa razón, ésa es I’ve been ill. That’s why I didn’t call.
la razón por la
que/cual…

“ consequently ” en consecuencia, como - Many of the university subjects available

consecuencia, are not taught at high schools, and
consecuentemente consequently, they may be unfamiliar.

⮚ Expressing CONDITION (= Condición):

STRUCTURE TRANSLATION EXAMPLES

“ if ” si If you drink, don’t drive.

“ if not ” si no If you don’t study, you won’t pass.

“ unless ” a menos que Unless you study, you won’t pass.

“ whether … or…. ” Si …o …. I don’t know whether we’ll stay or we’ll go

home.

“ as long as ” sólo si, siempre y cuando As long as you study, you may pass.

“ providing that ” mientras que, siempre y cuando She can come providing that you sleep in
separate rooms.

“ even if ” aunque, incluso si Even if he started studying now, he

wouldn’t be ready for the exam
tomorrow.

⮚ Expressing CONTRAST or CONCESSION (= Contraste o concesión):

STRUCTURE TRANSLATION EXAMPLES

“ but ” pero He hadn’t any money, but he got a ticket.

“ however ” sin embargo - He hadn’t any money; however, he got a

ticket. - He spent all his spare money. However,
he still
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had his credit card.

“ nevertheless ” no obstante - He hadn’t any money; nevertheless, he got a

ticket.
- He spent all his spare money. Nevertheless, he
still had his credit card.

“ nonetheless ” no obstante - He hadn’t any money; nonetheless, he got a

ticket.
- He spent all his spare money. Nonetheless,
he still had his credit card.

“ (al)though ” + sentence aunque - Although /Though he hadn’t any money, he

got a ticket.
- He got a ticket although /though he hadn’t
any money.

“ even though ” + sentence aunque - Even though he hadn’t any money, he got a
ticket.
- He got a ticket even though he hadn’t any
money.

“ in spite of ” + a pesar de - In spite of {not having any money/having no

noun/gerund/pronoun money}, he got a ticket.
- He got a ticket in spite of {not having any
money/having no money}.

“ despite ” + a pesar de - Despite {not having any money/having no

noun/gerund/pronoun money}, he got a ticket.
- He got a ticket despite {not having any
money/having no money}.

“ in spite of the fact that ” a pesar de que - In spite of the fact that he hadn’t any money,
+ sentence he got a ticket.
- He got a ticket in spite of the fact that he
hadn’t got any money.

“ despite the fact that ” + a pesar de que - Despite the fact that he hadn’t any money, he
sentence got a ticket.
- He got a ticket despite the fact that he hadn’t
got any money.

“ unlike ” a diferencia de Unlike your mum, hers is more distant and

colder.
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“ on the one hand ” por un lado/una On the one hand, reading is very enriching.
parte

“ on the other hand ” por otro lado/otra On the other hand, it can also be boring when
parte you don’t like what you must read.

“ while ” mientras que - British cars are small while American ones are
long.
- While British cars are small, American ones are
long.

“ whereas ” mientras que - British cars are small whereas American ones
are long.
- Whereas British cars are small, American ones
are long.

⮚ Adding MORE INFORMATION (= Añadir más información):

STRUCTURE TRANSLATION EXAMPLES

“ and ” y I like eating pizza and vegetables.

“ also ” también I also like eating them.

“ too ” también I like eating them too.

“ as well ” también Do they like eating them as well?

“ as well as ” además de I like eating pizza as well as vegetables.

“ moreover ” además, es más - It seems, moreover, that they were related.

- She doesn’t like eating any meat. Moreover, she hates
raw fish.

“ furthermore ” además, es más - We can’t judge him only by what we have heard;
furthermore, we need to look into his motives. - She
doesn’t like eating any meat. Furthermore, she hates
raw fish.

“ besides ” además /a parte de - I wasn’t interested in the talk, besides I was feeling
(eso) /excepto very tired.
- No one knows besides you.

“ in addition [to] ” además [de] - We want some more books in addition to our previous
order.
- In addition to our previous order, we want some more
books.
- We made a previous order. In addition, we want to ask
 5
for some more books.

“ apart from ” aparte de - I like all kinds of pasta. Apart from that, he like little
else.

“ what’s more ” lo que es más, - He loves pasta, and what’s more, he owns an Italian
además restaurant.

“ not only …, but no solo …, sino - Not only did he hit her, but he also he killed her.
also … ” también…

“ both … and … ” tanto … como…. - Children like eating both pizza and chiken.
- Both Mark and Jennifer like reading.

“ neither … nor … ni … ni…. - My grandmother likes neither pizza nor

” chicken. - Neither Mark nor Jennifer like
smoking.

“ either … or … ” o … o …. - We can eat either meat or fish.

- Either you go or you stay. Make up your mind now!

⮚ PARAPHRASING (= Parafrasear o decir las cosas de forma diferente):

STRUCTURE TRANSLATION EXAMPLES

“that is (to say) ” es decir I like using eco-vehicles, that is (to say), bicycles and
skateboards.

“in other words” en otras palabras You have serious doubts about what I am saying; in
other words, you don’t trust me.

⮚ QUALIFYING what you are saying (= Matizar las cosas que se dicen):
STRUCTURE TRANSLATION EXAMPLES

“ more or less ” más o menos She is more or less old. She’s 60 years old.

“ approximately ” aproximadamente The film will be released approximately by that date.

“ at least ” al menos, por lo - She must be at least 18 to pass the driving license.
menos, como
mínimo - She must be 18 at least to pass the driving license.
- At least, she must be 18 to pass the driving
license.

“ above all” sobre todo I put honesty above all other virtues.

“ that is (to say) ” es decir I like using eco-vehicles, that is (to say), bicycles and
skateboards.
“ in particular” en particular I like animals, in particular, dogs and parrots.

“ basically ” básicamente That’s basically the point she transmitted.

“ especially ” especialmente I am especially fond of her among all my friends.

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⮚ Giving EXAMPLES (= Dar ejemplos para clarificar alguna idea):
STRUCTURE TRANSLATION EXAMPLES

“ for example ” por ejemplo I like playing sports, for example, football, basketball
and volleyball.

“ for instance ” por ejemplo She underwent several illnesses, for instance, flu,
smallpox and chickenpox.

“ such as ” [tal] como I have read authors such as Dan Brown, Noah
Gordon, Stephenie Meyer and J.K. Rowling.

“ like ” como A man like him belongs on the stage.

⮚ Ordering logically YOUR IDEAS (= Ordenar lógicamente tus ideas):

STRUCTURE TRANSLATION EXAMPLES

“ First of all ” antes que nada, [lo] First of all, the aims of my work must be
primero [de todo]
introduced.

“ First and foremost ” ante todo, lo primero First and foremost, I am thankful for all the
y más importante
people who supported my decision.

“ In the first place ” en primer lugar In the first place, I have to mention the
sources I used to get the information.

“ Firstly ” primeramente, en primer Firstly, I am going to establish the

lugar advantages of a smoke-free environment.

“ To start with ” para empezar To start with, you will say hello and
introduce yourself.

“ In the second place ” en segundo lugar In the second place, I will mention why this
information is important for me.

“ Secondly ” en segundo lugar Secondly, I will mention why this

information is important for me.

“ last but not least” por ultimo, pero no And last but not least I want to show my
por ello menos
importante acknowledgement of the vast collaboration
of my parents and wife.

“ Finally ” finalmente, por último And finally, I want to end by quoting a

 famous saying: “Long absent, soon
forgotten”

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⮚ SUMMARISING (= Resumir lo que se ha dicho):
STRUCTURE TRANSLATION EXAMPLES

“ in conclusion ” para concluir In conclusion, life is difficult, but funny.

“ in general ” en general In general, life generally treats people unfairly.

“ to sum up ” para resumir, To sum up, being polite and nice is what matters.
resumiendo

“ to conclude ” para concluir To conclude, life is a gift we must spend wisely.

“ in short ” en resumen In short, treat others like you would like to be

treated.

⮚ Expressing YOUR PERSONAL OPINION:

STRUCTURE TRANSLATION EXAMPLES

“ in my opinion/view ” en mi opinión In my opinion terrorists should be

prosecuted.

“ from my point of view ” desde mi punto From my point of view serious

de criminals should be punished according
vista
to their crimes they have committed.

“ {as/the way } I see it ” a mi modo de As I see it you are wrong.

ver, tal como yo
lo veo, a mi
entender/parece
r

“ as far as I’m concerned ” por lo que a mi As far as I am concerned pet owners are
respecta accountable for their pets’ behaviour.

“ I think/believe/guess/consider ” + pienso, creo, I consider (that) everybody can make

supongo,
(that) + sentence considero que their own choices.

⮚ Expressing FACTS (= Expresando hechos):

STRUCTURE TRANSLATION EXAMPLES

“ as a matter of fact ” de hecho I don’t like vegetables; as a matter of

fact, I never eat them.

“ in fact ” de hecho I don’t like vegetables; in fact, I never

 eat them.

“ actually ” en realidad I don’t actually like vegetables..