Spanish transition words are words or groups of words that help establish a relationship between ideas (such as cause and effect, addition, or contrast), and thus give coherence to a text or speech.
Examples of Spanish transition words:
| por lo tanto therefore | sin embargo however | por ejemplo for example |
| es decir that is to say | en cambio conversely | ante todo first of all |
El trabajo estaba bien hecho; sin embargo, no cumplió las expectativas.
The work was well done; however, it did not meet expectations.Existen varios tipos de frutos rojos, por ejemplo, los arándanos y las moras.
There are several types of red fruits, for example, blueberries and blackberries.
Spanish transition words, like their English counterparts, help organize and link ideas, ensuring clarity. They are very important particularly in writing, where the lack of intonation and other tools found in oral communication, would make the writer’s message hard to understand or incoherent altogether.
Important: Connectors differ from conjunctions in that the former link different ideas and parts of a text, while the latter join terms, phrases, and sentences. For example: y (and), pero (but), o (or).
Types of transition words in Spanish
Depending on the type of relationship between the ideas, connectors may express:
- Time and sequence
- Cause and result
- Addition
- Explanation
- Comparison and contrast
- Concession
- Reformulation
- Summary
Transition words for time and sequence
These type of transition words is used to organize the different parts of a text in a chronological order.
| Primero First | En segundo lugar In the second place | Más adelante Afterwards |
| En primer lugar In the first place | A continuación Next | Posteriormente Subsequently |
| Primeramente Firstly | Seguidamente Next | Para terminar To finish |
| Para empezar To begin | En tercer lugar In the third place | Finalmente Finally |
| Para comenzar To start | Tercero Third | Por último Last |
| Ante todo First of all | Luego Then | En último lugar Last |
Primero, hablaré de la relación entre ambas materias.
First, I will talk about the relationship between both subjects.En segundo lugar, explicaré la importancia de estudiar matemática.
In the second place, I will explain the importance of studying mathematics.A continuación, haré un resumen de lo expuesto hoy.
Next, I will summarize what was discussed today.Finalmente, habrá una sesión de preguntas.
Finally, there will be a question-and-answer session.
Transition words for cause and result
These type of transition words introduce ideas that express a consequence or a cause.
| Por eso Therefore | De este modo In this way | Así Thus |
| Por esta razón For this reason | Por consiguiente Consequently | Así pues So |
| Por lo tanto Therefore | Por ello For that reason | En consecuencia As a result |
| Entonces Then / So | Por ende Hence | A causa de As a result of |
Un gran número de árboles fue arrasado a causa de la terrible tormenta.
A large number of trees was destroyed as a result of the terrible storm.El pronóstico anuncia lluvias para esta noche. Por esta razón, el concierto ha sido pospuesto.
The forecast calls for rain tonight. For this reason, the concert has been postponed.La empresa tuvo pocas ventas y, por consiguiente, tuvo pérdidas económicas.
The company had few sales and, consequently, it faced financial losses.Siguieron las instrucciones cuidadosamente. De este modo, evitaron cualquier error.
They followed the instructions carefully. In this way, they avoided any mistakes.
Transition words for addition and emphasis
These transition words are used to introduce ideas that add or specify information.
| Además Moreover / Furthermore | Encima On top of that | De todas formas In any case |
| Aparte Besides | Por si fuera poco To make matters worse | De cualquier manera In any way |
| Asimismo Additionally | Sobre todo Above all | En realidad Actually / In fact |
| También In addition / Also | A decir verdad Truth be told | En particular In particular |
| Más aún Moreover | De hecho In fact | Por otra parte Furthermore |
El restaurante estaba repleto y, por si fuera poco, la comida tardó mucho en llegar.
The restaurant was packed and, to make matters worse, the food took a long time.Los presidentes firmaron un acuerdo. Además, estuvieron hablando sobre la guerra en Ucrania.
The presidents signed an agreement. In addition, they discussed the war in Ukraine.No necesitamos más tiempo. En realidad, hemos terminado.
We don't need more time. In fact, we have finished.Esa fue una interpretación extraordinaria. De hecho, creo que fue la mejor que he visto en mi vida.
That was an extraordinary performance. In fact, I believe it was the best I’ve ever seen in my life.
Transition words to explain an idea
These transition words are used to introduce ideas that provide an explanation or clarification regarding what has been said before.
| Es decir That is to say | En otras palabras In other words | A saber Namely |
| O sea That is / I mean | Esto es That is | Por ejemplo For example |
Estamos perdidos; o sea, no llegaremos a destino sin preguntar cómo ir.
We are lost; I mean, we won't reach our destination without asking how to get there.Este ciclo incluirá las sinfonías más populares de Beethoven; a saber, la quinta y la novena.
This concert series will include Beethoven's most popular symphonies; namely, the fifth, and the ninth.No entendemos lo que ocurre. En otras palabras, necesitamos más información.
We don't understand what's going on. In other words, we need more information.Nevó mucho en varios países, por ejemplo, en Estados Unidos, Canadá y Francia.
It snowed a lot in several countries, for example, in the United States, Canada, and France.
Transition words for comparison and contrast
These transition words are used to compare and contrast two different ideas, conveying opposing or contrasting information.
| En cambio On the other hand | No obstante Nevertheless | Muy al contrario Quite the opposite |
| Por el contrario In contrast | Empero However | Todo lo contrario Quite the opposite |
| Al contrario On the contrary | Ahora bien Having said that | Eso sí That said |
| Sin embargo However | Contrariamente Conversely | A pesar de Despite / In spite of |
El clima de España es cálido y soleado. En cambio, el de Inglaterra es frío y lluvioso.
The weather in Spain is warm and sunny. On the other hand, the weather in England is cold and rainy.El proyecto viene bien. Eso sí, necesitamos hacer algunos ajustes.
The project is going well. That said, we need to make some adjustments.A pesar de la tormenta, la carrera no se cancelará.
Despite the storm, the race will not be canceled.Solo dos alumnos han hecho bien el examen. Por el contrario, la gran mayoría ha desaprobado.
Only two students did well on the exam. In contrast, the vast majority has failed.
Transition words for concession
These transition words are used to introduce contrasting statements that oppose the main idea but which still allow it to remain true.
| De todas formas All the same | Igualmente Anyway | Con todo Even so |
| De todos modos In any case / Anyway | Así y todo Even so / Nevertheless | Igual Anyway |
| De cualquier manera In any way | Aún así All the same | En cualquier caso In any case |
Puedes decir lo que quieras. De todos modos, no cambiaré de opinión.
You can say whatever you want. Anyway, I won't change my mind.Tuvimos todo tipo de problemas. Con todo, pudimos cumplir nuestros objetivos.
We had all kinds of problems. Even so, we were able to achieve our goals.No tengo ganas de ir a la fiesta, pero igualmente, iré.
I don't feel like going to the party, but anyway, I will go.Los escaladores estaban lastimados pero, aún así, llegaron a la cima.
The climbers were injured, but even so, they reached the summit.
Transition words for reformulation
These transition words introduce a reformulation of an idea, that is, they explain a statement in other words or add information about what has been previously said.
| Mejor dicho Or rather | Dicho de otra manera To put it another way | En realidad Actually / In fact |
| En otras palabras In other words | Dicho de otro modo In other words | Más bien Rather |
| Dicho de otra forma In other words | Más claramente More clearly | En verdad Really / Truly |
| En otros términos Let’s put it another way | Sin ir más lejos Without going any further | Por mejor decir To put it better |
El equipo no da abasto. Dicho de otro modo, necesitamos más recursos.
The team can't cope. In other words, we need more resources.Esto no está bien. Por mejor decir, tenemos que hacerlo de nuevo.
This is not right. To put it better, we have to do it again.Juan es vegetariano; en otras palabras, no come carne.
Juan is a vegetarian; in other words, he doesn't eat meat.No terminaremos esta tarea. En realidad, necesitamos más tiempo.
We won’t finish this task. In fact, we need more time.
Transition words to summarize
These transition words introduce an overview or conclusion of the previous ideas.
| En resumen To sum up | Pues bien Well then | Sintetizando Summarizing |
| En síntesis In short | En fin All in all | En suma In short |
| En conclusión In conclusion | Para concluir Lastly / Finally | En resumidas cuentas In a nutshell |
| Al fin y al cabo After all | En definitiva In conclusion | A fin de cuentas All in all |
Se perdió un poco de tiempo, pero, en resumen, la reunión fue productiva.
Some time was lost, but, all in all, the meeting was productive.En resumidas cuentas, el evento fue un éxito.
All in all, the event was a success.Para concluir, queremos agradecerles a todos los presentes.
Finally, we would like to thank all those present.En fin, todo salió como esperábamos.
In short, everything went as we expected.
You may also like:
Practice: Spanish transition words
References
- Wordreference.com, “sin ir más lejos,” accessed December 11, 2024, https://www.wordreference.com/
- Oxford Spanish Dictionary, 3rd edition on CD-ROM, Oxford University Press.
- Merriam-Webster Dictionary, accessed December 11, 2024, under “in other words,” https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/
- Enciclopedia del Lenguaje, “Conectores,” by Carla Giani. Last updated October 25, 2024, https://lenguaje.com/
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