Subordinating conjunctions (conjunciones subordinantes) are words that join a dependent (subordinate) clause to an independent (main) clause, indicating the relationship between them. Unlike coordinating conjunctions, which connect clauses of equal importance, subordinating conjunctions introduce clauses that cannot stand alone.

Role and Function

Subordinating conjunctions express various relationships:

Cause: Show reason or cause.
Time: Indicate when something happens.
Condition: Set a condition for something to occur.
Purpose: Explain the goal or intention.
Comparison: Make comparisons.
Concession: Introduce a contrast or unexpected result.

Common Subordinating Conjunctions and Examples

Here are some of the most important subordinating conjunctions in Spanish, along with their English equivalents and example sentences.

Causales (Cause)

Spanish Conjunction	English Conjunction	Spanish Example	English Example
porque	because	No fui a la fiesta porque estaba enfermo.	I didn’t go to the party because I was sick.
puesto que	since, given that	Puesto que llueve, no saldré.	Since it’s raining, I won’t go out.
como	since, because (at beginning)	Como no estudiaste, no pasaste el examen.	Since you didn’t study, you didn’t pass the exam.

Temporales (Time)

Spanish Conjunction	English Conjunction	Spanish Example	English Example
cuando	when	Te llamaré cuando llegue a casa.	I will call you when I get home.
mientras	while	Escucho música mientras estudio.	I listen to music while I study.
apenas	as soon as	Apenas terminó, salió corriendo.	As soon as he finished, he ran out.
tan pronto como	as soon as	Saldré tan pronto como termine.	I will leave as soon as I finish.
desde que	since	No te veo desde que te mudaste.	I haven’t seen you since you moved.

Condicionales (Condition)

Spanish Conjunction	English Conjunction	Spanish Example	English Example
si	if	Si llueve, llevaremos paraguas.	If it rains, we’ll take umbrellas.
a menos que	unless	No saldré a menos que deje de llover.	I won’t go out unless it stops raining.
con tal de que	provided that	Puedes ir con tal de que termines tu tarea.	You can go provided that you finish your homework.
en caso de que	in case	Lleva un abrigo en caso de que haga frío.	Take a coat in case it’s cold.

Finales (Purpose)

Spanish Conjunction	English Conjunction	Spanish Example	English Example
para que	so that	Te lo explico para que lo entiendas.	I explain it to you so that you understand.
a fin de que	so that	Trabajamos a fin de que todo salga bien.	We work so that everything goes well.

Concesivas (Concession)

Spanish Conjunction	English Conjunction	Spanish Example	English Example
aunque	although, even though	Aunque llueva, iremos al parque.	Although it rains, we’ll go to the park.
a pesar de que	despite the fact that	A pesar de que estaba cansado, siguió trabajando.	Despite being tired, he kept working.
por más que	no matter how much	Por más que estudies, no siempre es suficiente.	No matter how much you study, it’s not always enough.

Comparativas (Comparison)

Spanish Conjunction	English Conjunction	Spanish Example	English Example
como si	as if	Habla como si supiera todo.	He talks as if he knew everything.
más ... de lo que	more ... than	Trabajo más de lo que debería.	I work more than I should.

Summary

Spanish subordinating conjunctions are essential for linking ideas and expressing complex relationships. They introduce dependent clauses that provide context, reasons, conditions, or contrasts, helping you communicate more precisely and clearly.

so that

Trabajamos cuando todo salga bien.

Trabajamos ___ todo salga bien.

Trabajamos porque todo salga bien.

Trabajamos aunque todo salga bien.

Trabajamos ___ todo salga bien.

'a fin de que' is another way to say 'so that,' indicating the goal or desired outcome.

so that

Te lo explico si lo entiendas.

Te lo explico ___ lo entiendas.

Te lo explico porque lo entiendas.

Te lo explico aunque lo entiendas.

Te lo explico ___ lo entiendas.

'para que' means 'so that' and introduces the purpose of the action in the main clause.

Flashcards (1 of 19)

English Conjunction: because
English Example: I didn’t go to the party because I was sick.

Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025