Which Spanish transition words need the subjunctive?

In this deck: 'para que' and 'en caso de que' always take it, and 'aunque' takes it when the clause is hypothetical ('aunque llueva' = even if it rains). 'Aunque' uses the indicative for known facts ('aunque llueve, salgo'). Cause connectors like 'porque', 'ya que', 'puesto que' and 'como' take the indicative.

What's the difference between 'así que', 'por eso' and 'por lo tanto'?

All three express result. 'Así que' is the everyday spoken 'so' ('ya terminé, así que me voy'). 'Por eso' points back at a cause you just mentioned and is equally conversational. 'Por lo tanto' is the logical, semi-formal 'therefore' you want in an essay or report, and 'en consecuencia' is more formal still.

Can I start a Spanish sentence with 'pero'?

In speech, yes - people do it constantly. In careful writing, teachers and editors prefer 'pero' inside the sentence after a comma, and 'sin embargo' or 'no obstante' at the start of a new sentence, followed by a comma: 'Sin embargo, el precio subió.'

Is 'o sea' rude or just informal?

It's informal, not rude. It reformulates what you just said, like 'I mean' in English, and it also works as a filler, especially among younger speakers in Spain and Mexico. In an exam essay or a work email, write 'es decir' instead.

Spanish Transition Words: 40 Connectors for B1

🇪🇸 Spanish · 40 cards · B1 · by Lucía Herrera

These are the connectors my students reach for as soon as they stop speaking in short sentences. I have grouped them by what they do: adding information, contrasting, giving a cause, giving a result, ordering steps, clarifying and wrapping up. The hard part is rarely the meaning - it is register and grammar. Puesto que and no obstante belong in an essay; así que and o sea belong in a bar. Para que and en caso de que force the subjunctive; debido a needs a noun after it, not a verb. Read the note on every card, then rewrite one of your own paragraphs using three new connectors.

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Flip through the cards, then switch to Quiz. Tap the play button on any row to hear it. The full table below is there to read, print or copy into your own flashcard app.

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All 40 cards

#	Spanish	English	Example
1	además Very common in speech and writing. 'Además de' + noun/infinitive: 'además de caro, es feo'.	besides, what's more, also	Es tarde y además estoy cansada. It's late and besides, I'm tired.
2	también The negative counterpart is 'tampoco': 'yo tampoco quiero'.	also, too	Yo también quiero postre. I want dessert too.
3	es más Adds a stronger point on top of the previous one. Neutral register, very frequent in speech.	what's more, in fact	No me gustó la película; es más, me aburrió. I didn't like the film; what's more, it bored me.
4	asimismo Formal and mostly written (emails, reports). Don't confuse it with 'a sí mismo' (to himself).	likewise, also, furthermore	Se adjunta el informe; asimismo, les recordamos la fecha de entrega. The report is attached; we also remind you of the deadline.
5	incluso Adds a surprising element. 'Incluso si' means 'even if': 'incluso si llueve, vamos'.	even	Vinieron todos, incluso mi hermano. Everyone came, even my brother.
6	pero Joins clauses inside a sentence. To open a new sentence in formal writing, 'sin embargo' sounds better.	but	Quiero ir, pero no tengo tiempo. I want to go, but I don't have time.
7	sin embargo Works in speech and writing. Set off by commas.	however, nevertheless	El piso es caro; sin embargo, vale la pena. The flat is expensive; however, it's worth it.
8	aunque Indicative for known facts ('aunque es caro'), subjunctive for hypotheses ('aunque sea caro').	although, even though, even if	Aunque llueva, saldremos a correr. Even if it rains, we'll go running.
9	en cambio Compares two different subjects or situations, not two sides of one argument.	on the other hand, whereas	Yo prefiero el té; ella, en cambio, toma café. I prefer tea; she, on the other hand, drinks coffee.
10	no obstante Formal written register, a step above 'sin embargo'.	nevertheless, notwithstanding	El plan es bueno; no obstante, hay riesgos. The plan is good; nevertheless, there are risks.
11	mientras que Used for contrast. Plain 'mientras' + verb is normally time: 'mientras cocino'.	whereas, while (contrast)	Mi hermano es tranquilo, mientras que yo soy muy nerviosa. My brother is calm, whereas I'm very highly-strung.
12	aun así 'Aun' here has no accent. 'Aún' with an accent means 'still/yet'.	even so, still	Le avisé; aun así, llegó tarde. I warned him; even so, he arrived late.
13	por el contrario Corrects the previous idea, so it normally follows a negative statement. Semi-formal.	on the contrary	No es difícil; por el contrario, resulta bastante fácil. It isn't hard; on the contrary, it's quite easy.
14	porque One word, no accent. '¿Por qué?' is the question; 'el porqué' is the noun (the reason).	because	No salgo porque tengo que estudiar. I'm not going out because I have to study.
15	como Causal 'como' goes before the main clause, never after it. Takes the indicative.	since, as (cause)	Como no contestabas, te dejé un mensaje. Since you weren't answering, I left you a message.
16	ya que Introduces a reason the listener already knows. Neutral register, very common.	since, seeing as	Ya que estás de pie, tráeme un vaso de agua. Since you're up, bring me a glass of water.
17	puesto que Formal; typical of essays and reports rather than conversation.	given that, since	Puesto que nadie vino, cancelamos la reunión. Given that nobody came, we cancelled the meeting.
18	debido a Takes a noun. Before a conjugated verb you need 'debido a que': 'debido a que había niebla'.	due to, owing to	El vuelo se retrasó debido a la niebla. The flight was delayed due to the fog.
19	gracias a For positive causes. The negative equivalent is 'por culpa de'.	thanks to	Aprobé el examen gracias a tu ayuda. I passed the exam thanks to your help.
20	así que The everyday spoken 'so'. In formal writing prefer 'por lo tanto'.	so	Ya terminé, así que me voy. I've finished, so I'm off.
21	por eso Points back at a cause just mentioned. Very frequent in conversation.	that's why, for that reason	Se me hizo tarde; por eso no te llamé. I ran late; that's why I didn't call you.
22	entonces Also means 'at that time': 'entonces yo vivía en Valencia'.	then, in that case	¿No hay leche? Entonces la compro yo. There's no milk? Then I'll buy some.
23	por lo tanto Semi-formal. 'Por tanto' is the shorter variant, common in Spain.	therefore	No hay pruebas; por lo tanto, se archiva el caso. There is no evidence; therefore, the case is being closed.
24	en consecuencia Formal written register; frequent in news and business texts.	consequently, as a result	Bajaron las ventas y, en consecuencia, cerraron la tienda. Sales fell and, as a result, they closed the shop.
25	primero In formal writing use 'en primer lugar'.	first, first of all	Primero termino esto y te aviso. First I'll finish this and I'll let you know.
26	luego In Mexico 'luego luego' means 'right away'; in Spain 'luego' often means 'later on'.	then, afterwards	Desayuno y luego salgo a correr. I have breakfast and then go for a run.
27	a continuación Typical of presentations, recipes and instructions, not casual chat.	next, following this	A continuación les mostramos los resultados. Next we'll show you the results.
28	mientras tanto Stands alone as an adverbial phrase. Don't add 'que' after it.	meanwhile, in the meantime	Yo cocino; mientras tanto, pon la mesa. I'll cook; meanwhile, set the table.
29	por último Closes a list of steps. 'Finalmente' is a close synonym, slightly more formal.	lastly, finally	Por último, añade sal y pimienta. Lastly, add salt and pepper.
30	por ejemplo Abbreviated 'p. ej.' in writing. Any register.	for example	Me encantan los cítricos, por ejemplo la naranja. I love citrus fruit, oranges for example.
31	es decir Reformulates what you just said. Neutral, fine in essays.	that is, in other words	Llega el martes, es decir, mañana. He arrives on Tuesday, that is, tomorrow.
32	o sea Colloquial cousin of 'es decir'; 'o sea que' introduces a conclusion ('so, which means'). Also a filler word. Keep it out of formal writing.	I mean, in other words	Está cerrado, o sea que volvemos mañana. It's closed, so we'll come back tomorrow.
33	de hecho Confirms or intensifies; it doesn't contradict. Very common in speech.	in fact, actually	No me molesta; de hecho, me gusta. It doesn't bother me; in fact, I like it.
34	en resumen Opens a closing sentence. 'Resumiendo' is the more casual version.	in short, to sum up	En resumen, el viaje salió bien. In short, the trip went well.
35	en definitiva False friend: it does not mean 'definitely'. That would be 'sin duda' or 'desde luego'.	all in all, ultimately	En definitiva, no merece la pena discutir. All in all, it's not worth arguing.
36	total que Very colloquial, spoken only. Usually written with a comma: 'total, que…'.	so anyway, long story short	Total, que al final no fuimos a la fiesta. Long story short, in the end we didn't go to the party.
37	sobre todo Two separate words. 'Sobretodo' as one word is a noun meaning 'overcoat'.	above all, especially	Me gusta viajar, sobre todo en tren. I like travelling, especially by train.
38	en caso de que Always followed by the subjunctive. With a noun, use 'en caso de': 'en caso de emergencia'.	in case, if	Llévate el paraguas en caso de que llueva. Take the umbrella in case it rains.
39	de lo contrario Slightly formal. In conversation people just say 'si no'.	otherwise	Sal ya; de lo contrario, perderás el tren. Leave now; otherwise you'll miss the train.
40	para que Requires the subjunctive. If both clauses share the same subject, use 'para' + infinitive instead.	so that, in order that	Te lo explico para que lo entiendas. I'm explaining it to you so that you understand.

Lucía Herrera

Native Spanish · Speaks English, Portuguese

Native Spanish speaker from Valencia, now in Mexico City. I tutor Spanish online and keep a notebook of the words my students trip over. Every deck here comes from that notebook.

Published 17 Sept 2026

Questions about this deck

Which Spanish transition words need the subjunctive?: In this deck: 'para que' and 'en caso de que' always take it, and 'aunque' takes it when the clause is hypothetical ('aunque llueva' = even if it rains). 'Aunque' uses the indicative for known facts ('aunque llueve, salgo'). Cause connectors like 'porque', 'ya que', 'puesto que' and 'como' take the indicative.
What's the difference between 'así que', 'por eso' and 'por lo tanto'?: All three express result. 'Así que' is the everyday spoken 'so' ('ya terminé, así que me voy'). 'Por eso' points back at a cause you just mentioned and is equally conversational. 'Por lo tanto' is the logical, semi-formal 'therefore' you want in an essay or report, and 'en consecuencia' is more formal still.
Can I start a Spanish sentence with 'pero'?: In speech, yes - people do it constantly. In careful writing, teachers and editors prefer 'pero' inside the sentence after a comma, and 'sin embargo' or 'no obstante' at the start of a new sentence, followed by a comma: 'Sin embargo, el precio subió.'
Is 'o sea' rude or just informal?: It's informal, not rude. It reformulates what you just said, like 'I mean' in English, and it also works as a filler, especially among younger speakers in Spain and Mexico. In an exam essay or a work email, write 'es decir' instead.

Spanish Transition Words: 40 Connectors for B1

All 40 cards

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