Topics
IntermediateCoordination
How Spanish, English and Chinese join words, phrases, and clauses with conjunctions.
Compare languages
Coordination joins elements of equal syntactic status. All three languages use and, or, but. Spanish y changes to e before i-/hi-, and o changes to u before o-/ho-.
Overview
Coordination joins syntactically equal elements: words, phrases, or clauses.
- Spanish: Uses y, o, pero. Y → e before i-/hi-; o → u before o-/ho-. Correlative pairs: ni…ni, no solo…sino también, tanto…como.
- English: Uses and, or, but. Correlative pairs: both…and, either…or, neither…nor, not only…but also.
- Chinese: Uses 和/跟/与 for nouns; 而/而且 for clauses; 或/或者 for alternatives; 不但…而且 for emphasis. Commas separate coordinated clauses.
Spanish
Coordinating conjunctions
| Conjunction | Function | Example |
|---|---|---|
| y | addition | Juan y María |
| e | addition (before i-/hi-) | padre e hijo |
| o | alternative | té o café |
| u | alternative (before o-/ho-) | siete u ocho |
| pero | contrast | quiero, pero no puedo |
| sino | correction (after negative) | no español, sino francés |
| así que | result | llovió, así que me quedé |
Correlative coordination
Ni…ni (neither…nor):
- Ni Juan ni María vinieron.
No solo…sino también (not only…but also):
- No solo Juan, sino también María.
Tanto…como (both…and):
- Tanto Juan como María.
O…o (either…or):
- O vienes o te vas.
Clause coordination
- Juan vino y María se fue.
- Quiero ir, pero no puedo.
- No es español, sino francés.
Comma usage
Spanish is more flexible with commas before y than English:
- Juan vino y María se fue. (no comma required)
- Juan vino, y María se fue. (comma for emphasis)
English
Coordinating conjunctions (FANBOYS)
| Conjunction | Function | Example |
|---|---|---|
| For | reason | I stayed, for I was tired. |
| And | addition | John and Mary |
| Nor | negative addition | neither John nor Mary |
| But | contrast | John but not Mary |
| Or | alternative | John or Mary |
| Yet | contrast | small yet powerful |
| So | result | It rained, so I stayed. |
Correlative coordination
Both…and:
- Both John and Mary came.
Either…or:
- Either John or Mary will come.
Neither…nor:
- Neither John nor Mary came.
Not only…but also:
- Not only John but also Mary came.
Whether…or:
- Whether John or Mary comes…
Comma before and/but/or in independent clauses
- John came*, and** Mary left.* (comma required)
- John came* and** left.* (no comma — single subject)
Oxford comma
- a, b*, and** c* (with — formal US)
- a, b and c (without — UK/common)
Chinese
Noun coordination
| Conjunction | Usage | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 和 | general (neutral/formal) | 约翰和玛丽 |
| 跟 | colloquial | 我跟他 |
| 与 | formal/written | 父与子 |
| 及 | formal listing | A、B及C |
| 同 | dialectal/colloquial | 我同你 |
Clause coordination
- 约翰来了，玛丽也来了。(John came, and Mary came too.)
- 他来了，而我走了。(He came, but I left.)
Correlatives
不但…而且 (not only…but also):
- 不但约翰来了，而且玛丽也来了。
要么…要么 (either…or):
- 要么来，要么走。(Either come or go.)
既不…也不 (neither…nor):
- 既不…也不…
都 for universal quantification
- 约翰和玛丽都来了。(Both John and Mary came.)
Comparison at a glance
| Function | Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| And (nouns) | y / e | and | 和/跟/与 |
| And (clauses) | y | and / comma | comma / 而且 |
| Or | o / u | or | 或/或者 |
| But | pero / sino | but | 但/但是/而 |
| Neither…nor | ni…ni | neither…nor | 既不…也不 |
| Both…and | tanto…como | both…and | 都 |
| Not only…but also | no solo…sino | not only…but also | 不但…而且 |
| Either…or | o…o | either…or | 要么…要么 |
Examples in context
John and Mary
- ES: Juan y María
- EN: John and Mary
- ZH: 约翰和玛丽
Neither John nor Mary
- ES: Ni Juan ni María.
- EN: Neither John nor Mary.
- ZH: 既不是约翰也不是玛丽。
Not only John but also Mary
- ES: No solo Juan sino también María.
- EN: Not only John but also Mary.
- ZH: 不但约翰，而且玛丽也来了。
Common mistakes
-
English speakers learning Spanish: padre y hijo → padre e hijo (y → e before hi)
-
Spanish speakers learning English: Juan y María vinieron → John and Mary came (no comma needed with single subject)
-
English speakers learning Chinese: 约翰来了和玛丽走了 → 约翰来了，玛丽也走了 (和 not for clauses)
-
Chinese speakers learning English: Not only John but Mary too → Not only John but also Mary
Related topics
- Conjunctions: How conjunctions work
- Subordination: How subordinate clauses work
- Discourse Connectors: How discourse linking works
- Correlatives: How correlative pairs work
Examples
John and Mary
Juan y María (y = and)
John or Mary
Juan o María (o = or)
John but not Mary
Juan pero no María (pero = but)
Both John and Mary
Tanto Juan como María
Neither John nor Mary
Ni Juan ni María (ni...ni)
John came and Mary left (clauses)
Juan vino y María se fue
Not only John but also Mary
No solo Juan sino también María
Either John or Mary
O Juan o María / Juan o María
Examples
John and Mary
John and Mary
John or Mary
John or Mary
John but not Mary
John but not Mary
Both John and Mary
Both John and Mary
Neither John nor Mary
Neither John nor Mary
John came and Mary left (clauses)
John came and Mary left
Not only John but also Mary
Not only John but also Mary
Either John or Mary
Either John or Mary
Examples
John and Mary
约翰和玛丽 (和 = and)
John or Mary
约翰或玛丽 (或 = or / 或者)
John but not Mary
约翰但不是玛丽 (但/但是 = but)
Both John and Mary
约翰和玛丽都 (都 = both/all)
Neither John nor Mary
既不是约翰也不是玛丽 (既不...也不...)
John came and Mary left (clauses)
约翰来了，玛丽走了 (comma or 而/而且)
Not only John but also Mary
不但约翰，而且玛丽也 (不但...而且...)
Either John or Mary
要么约翰要么玛丽 (要么...要么...)
Comparison at a glance
| Grammar concepts | Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| John and Mary | Juan y María (y = and) | John and Mary | 约翰和玛丽 (和 = and) |
| John or Mary | Juan o María (o = or) | John or Mary | 约翰或玛丽 (或 = or / 或者) |
| John but not Mary | Juan pero no María (pero = but) | John but not Mary | 约翰但不是玛丽 (但/但是 = but) |
| Both John and Mary | Tanto Juan como María | Both John and Mary | 约翰和玛丽都 (都 = both/all) |
| Neither John nor Mary | Ni Juan ni María (ni...ni) | Neither John nor Mary | 既不是约翰也不是玛丽 (既不...也不...) |
| John came and Mary left (clauses) | Juan vino y María se fue | John came and Mary left | 约翰来了，玛丽走了 (comma or 而/而且) |
| Not only John but also Mary | No solo Juan sino también María | Not only John but also Mary | 不但约翰，而且玛丽也 (不但...而且...) |
| Either John or Mary | O Juan o María / Juan o María | Either John or Mary | 要么约翰要么玛丽 (要么...要么...) |
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Side-by-side comparison
| Grammar concepts | Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| John and Mary | Juan y María (y = and) | John and Mary | 约翰和玛丽 (和 = and) |
| John or Mary | Juan o María (o = or) | John or Mary | 约翰或玛丽 (或 = or / 或者) |
| John but not Mary | Juan pero no María (pero = but) | John but not Mary | 约翰但不是玛丽 (但/但是 = but) |
| Both John and Mary | Tanto Juan como María | Both John and Mary | 约翰和玛丽都 (都 = both/all) |
| Neither John nor Mary | Ni Juan ni María (ni...ni) | Neither John nor Mary | 既不是约翰也不是玛丽 (既不...也不...) |
| John came and Mary left (clauses) | Juan vino y María se fue | John came and Mary left | 约翰来了，玛丽走了 (comma or 而/而且) |
| Not only John but also Mary | No solo Juan sino también María | Not only John but also Mary | 不但约翰，而且玛丽也 (不但...而且...) |
| Either John or Mary | O Juan o María / Juan o María | Either John or Mary | 要么约翰要么玛丽 (要么...要么...) |
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Examples in context
John and Mary
Spanish
Juan y María (y = and)
English
John and Mary
Chinese
约翰和玛丽 (和 = and)
John or Mary
Spanish
Juan o María (o = or)
English
John or Mary
Chinese
约翰或玛丽 (或 = or / 或者)
John but not Mary
Spanish
Juan pero no María (pero = but)
English
John but not Mary
Chinese
约翰但不是玛丽 (但/但是 = but)
Both John and Mary
Spanish
Tanto Juan como María
English
Both John and Mary
Chinese
约翰和玛丽都 (都 = both/all)
Neither John nor Mary
Spanish
Ni Juan ni María (ni...ni)
English
Neither John nor Mary
Chinese
既不是约翰也不是玛丽 (既不...也不...)
John came and Mary left (clauses)
Spanish
Juan vino y María se fue
English
John came and Mary left
Chinese
约翰来了，玛丽走了 (comma or 而/而且)
Not only John but also Mary
Spanish
No solo Juan sino también María
English
Not only John but also Mary
Chinese
不但约翰，而且玛丽也 (不但...而且...)
Either John or Mary
Spanish
O Juan o María / Juan o María
English
Either John or Mary
Chinese
要么约翰要么玛丽 (要么...要么...)
Select at least one language to view comparisons
Key Takeaways
Spanish: Uses y, o, pero. Y → e before i-/hi-; o → u before o-/ho-. Correlative pairs: ni...ni, no solo...sino también, tanto...como.
English: Uses and, or, but. Correlative pairs: both...and, either...or, neither...nor, not only...but also.
Chinese: Uses 和hé/跟gēn/与yǔ for nouns; 而ér/而ér且qiě for clauses; 或huò/或huò者zhě for alternatives; 不bù但dàn...而ér且qiě for emphasis. Commas separate coordi...
Key concepts compared: John and Mary, John or Mary, John but not Mary.
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Last updated: June 4, 2026