Use sino to replace something you have just denied: No quiero té, sino café means “I do not want tea, but coffee.” Use si no for a negative condition: Si no hay café, tomo té means “If there is no coffee, I will have tea.” They sound similar, but they connect ideas differently. Once you hear the difference between correcting an idea and setting a condition, the spelling becomes much easier.
Sino replaces the idea you denied
Imagine a friend thinks your appointment is on Monday. You correct them: No es el lunes, sino el martes. “It is not on Monday, but on Tuesday.” The second option takes the place of the first. In English, “but rather” can make this replacement especially clear, although natural translations often use only “but.”
Use parallel pieces where possible: No vivo en Madrid, sino en Sevilla (I live in Seville, not Madrid). Both alternatives are locations. No compré una camisa, sino dos means “I bought two shirts, not one.” You are correcting the quantity, rather than denying that you bought shirts.
Add que when you contrast conjugated clauses
When the replacement introduces another clause with its own conjugated verb, the standard pattern is sino que: No trabajo aquí, sino que estudio aquí. “I do not work here; I study here.” Compare No quiero dormir, sino descansar: the two alternatives are infinitives, so que is unnecessary.
It is not difficult, but different. Two descriptions.
They did not arrive late; they did not come. Two conjugated clauses.
A comma normally separates the denied idea from this corrective sino. Do not insert an accent mark: the conjunction is sino, not síno.
Si no means “if not”
Si no tienes tiempo, hablamos mañana. “If you do not have time, we can talk tomorrow.” Here si introduces a condition and no makes it negative. Nothing is being replaced by a corrected alternative.
You can sometimes insert the subject between the words: Si tú no tienes tiempo… That is a useful spelling check, although understanding the sentence is more dependable than relying on a trick. Use the same two words when the condition is understood: Ven hoy; si no, ven mañana. “Come today; otherwise, come tomorrow.” The implied meaning is “if you do not come today.”
Compare sino with pero and no solo
No es barato, pero es útil. “It is not cheap, but it is useful.” Being useful does not replace being cheap; both claims remain true. That is why pero works. Compare No es barato, sino carísimo: “It is not cheap, but extremely expensive.” The second description corrects the first.
Learn the useful additional pattern no solo…, sino también…: No solo leo español, sino que también lo hablo. “I do not only read Spanish; I also speak it.” This adds information emphatically. The first statement is not simply being rejected. Treat the whole expression as a pattern you can reuse.
Choose the relationship before the spelling
Complete each sentence with sino, sino que, si no, or pero. Say whether the sentence expresses a correction, a condition, or a contrast.
- No necesito ayuda, ___ necesito más tiempo.
- ___ entiendes, pregunta.
- No es mi hermana, ___ mi prima.
- La tarea es larga, ___ interesante.
See answers and explanations
1. sino que: the speaker replaces one conjugated clause with another. “I do not need help; I need more time.” 2. Si no: “If you do not understand, ask.” 3. sino: the cousin replaces the sister in the identification. 4. pero: the task is both long and interesting.
Now write one true correction and one condition about your own Spanish learning. Using your own situation will make the contrast easier to remember.
Common questions about sino and si no
Is every English “but” sino?
No. Use pero for a general contrast and sino for the corrective pattern after a denial. Translate the relationship, not just the English word.
Does si meaning “if” have an accent?
No. Conditional si has no accent. Sí with an accent can mean “yes”: Sí, voy si tengo tiempo.
Can sino mean something else?
Yes. The noun el sino means fate or destiny, and the conjunction has other literary and restrictive uses. Learn the correction and condition patterns first.
Sources & further reading
Our examples and explanations are written for LSFR learners. These references provide further detail.