 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, pues He isn’t allowed to smoke for he is still a
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 wait
“ that ” for them.

“ such ” + (adjective) + tan…que - They had such a big dog that nobody dared
noun + “ that ” 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 couldn’t
countable noun + “ that ” 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 como/a consecuencia de As a result of the war, the prices of oil and
of ” + noun phrase bread went up enormously.
“ therefore ” por lo tanto, por consiguiente - I think, therefore I am.
- They saved the prize money from the

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 lottery. Therefore, they were rich.
“ thus ” por lo tanto, así, de este modo, - It should be applied thus.
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 la I’ve been ill. That’s why I didn’t call.
razón por la que/cual…
“ consequently ” en consecuencia, como - Many of the university subjects available
consecuencia, consecuentemente are not taught at high schools, and
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, he
+ sentence 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 got
sentence 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 parte On the one hand, reading is very enriching.
“ on the other hand ” por otro lado/otra parte On the other hand, it can also be boring when 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 very
(eso) /excepto 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

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 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, además - He loves pasta, and what’s more, he owns an Italian
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 menos, - She must be at least 18 to pass the driving license.
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] primero First of all, the aims of my work must be
[de todo]
introduced.
“ First and foremost ” ante todo, lo primero y más First and foremost, I am thankful for all the
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 lugar Firstly, I am going to establish the
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 por ello And last but not least I want to show my
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, resumiendo To sum up, being polite and nice is what matters.
“ 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 de From my point of view serious criminals
vista
should be punished according to their
crimes they have committed.
“ {as/the way } I see it ” a mi modo de ver, tal As I see it you are wrong.
como yo lo veo, a mi
entender/parecer
“ 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, supongo, I consider (that) everybody can make their
considero que
+ (that) + sentence 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..