And + Or

Conjunciones coordinantes

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The words "and" and "or" are coordinating conjunctions. In Spanish, these two words have a few different forms depending on what they’re used with.

And = y, e

"And" is normally translated as y.

Por ejemplo…

José y Ana hablan francés.		José and Ana speak French.
Me gustan las fresas y las frambuesas.		I like strawberries and raspberries.
Necesitamos sal y hielo.		We need salt and ice.

When "and" precedes a word that begins with the sound [i], the Spanish translation is e instead of y, in order to avoid having two "i" sounds in a row. This includes words that begin with i and hi, but not words that begin with hie.

Hay templos e iglesias en este calle.		There are temples and churches on this street.
Todos mis hijos e hijas han ido a la universidad.		All of my sons and daughters have gone to college.

Or = o, ó, u

"Or" is normally translated as o.

Por ejemplo…

¿Quieres café o té?		Do you want coffee or tea?
Paco o David puede ayudarte.		Paco or David can help you.

When "or" precedes a word that begins with the sound [o], the Spanish translation is u instead of o, in order to avoid having two "o" sounds in a row. This includes words that begin with o and ho.

Hay siete u ocho estudiantes en la oficina.		There are seven or eight students in the office.
¿Es vertical u horizontal?		Is it vertical or horizontal?

When o is used with numerals, it becomes ó with an accent, to avoid confusion with the number 0.

2 ó 3		2 or 3
9 ó 10		9 or 10

 Related lessons

• Accents
• Conjunctions
• Numbers
• Pronunciation
   

 En français

• Conjonctions de coordination
  Interestingly, the alternate Spanish forms e and u sound just like et and ou.
   

 In italiano

• Congiunzioni coordinanti
   

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