Conectores en inglés: lista por función, con ejemplos y errores típicos
Los conectores (linking words) unen ideas: however, because, so, for example. Usarlos bien es lo que hace que un texto se lea fácil y, en exámenes como el Aptis, la cohesión es uno de los criterios con los que te corrigen el Writing.
Lo importante
- Agrúpalos por función: añadir, contrastar, causa, consecuencia, ejemplo, orden y conclusión.
- Distingue formales (email a una empresa) e informales (mensaje a un amigo).
- Fíjate en la puntuación: «However,» lleva coma; «but» no empieza frase en un texto formal.
- Varía: repetir siempre «and» y «but» te deja en un B1.
Conectores para añadir información
| Conector | Registro | Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|
| and | Neutro | I work and study at the same time. |
| also | Neutro | The course is online. It's also cheaper. |
| as well as | Neutro | As well as English, I speak French. |
| in addition / moreover | Formal | Moreover, the price includes all materials. |
| furthermore | Formal | Furthermore, the hotel was far from the centre. |
| what's more | Informal | It's cheap. What's more, it's near my house. |
Conectores para contrastar ideas
| Conector | Registro | Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|
| but | Neutro | It's expensive, but it's worth it. |
| however | Formal | The room was clean. However, it was very noisy. |
| although / even though | Neutro | Although it rained, we went out. |
| despite / in spite of + nombre | Neutro | Despite the rain, we went out. |
| whereas / while | Formal | My sister loves sport, whereas I prefer reading. |
| on the other hand | Neutro | On the other hand, living in a city is expensive. |
Despite va con nombre o -ing (despite being tired), nunca con sujeto y verbo: no digas «despite it was raining».
Conectores de causa y consecuencia
| Conector | Función | Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|
| because | Causa | I'm writing because I have a question. |
| because of / due to + nombre | Causa | The flight was cancelled due to the storm. |
| since / as | Causa (formal) | As the course starts in May, I need to book now. |
| so | Consecuencia | I was tired, so I went to bed early. |
| therefore / as a result | Consecuencia (formal) | The price went up. As a result, fewer people came. |
| that's why | Consecuencia (informal) | I love cooking. That's why I joined the club. |
Conectores para dar ejemplos y ordenar
| Conector | Función | Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|
| for example / for instance | Ejemplo | Some sports, for example tennis, are expensive. |
| such as | Ejemplo (antes de nombres) | I like outdoor activities such as hiking. |
| first / firstly | Orden | Firstly, I would like to thank you. |
| then / after that | Orden | Then we visited the museum. |
| finally / lastly | Orden | Finally, I'd like to ask about the price. |
Conectores para opinar y concluir
| Conector | Función | Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|
| in my opinion / in my view | Opinión | In my view, public transport should be free. |
| personally | Opinión (informal) | Personally, I'd rather stay at home. |
| to sum up / in conclusion | Conclusión (formal) | In conclusion, the plan has more advantages. |
| all in all | Conclusión (informal) | All in all, it was a great trip. |
Conectores formales e informales: un mismo email, dos registros
En la última parte del Writing del Aptis escribes dos emails sobre lo mismo: uno informal a un amigo y otro formal a una empresa. Los conectores son la forma más rápida de cambiar de registro:
Informal: The trip's been cancelled, so I'm a bit annoyed. What's more, they haven't given us our money back yet!
Formal: I am writing to complain about the cancellation of the trip. Furthermore, I have not yet received a refund. Therefore, I would be grateful if you could look into this matter.
Tienes los dos emails completos con modelo en Writing del Aptis.
Errores típicos con los conectores en inglés
| Error | Correcto | Por qué |
|---|---|---|
| Despite it was late, … | Although it was late, … | Despite va con nombre o -ing |
| However it was late. | However, it was late. | However lleva coma detrás |
| Because of I was ill, … | Because I was ill, … | Because of va con nombre |
| In the other hand, … | On the other hand, … | La preposición es on |
| Moreover, lol, it's cheap. | What's more, it's cheap. | No mezcles registros |
Practica: elige el conector
- ___ the bad weather, the flight left on time. (Despite / Although / However)
- The course is expensive. ___, it's the best in the city. (However / Because / So)
- I missed the bus, ___ I was late. (so / because / although)
- I enjoy water sports ___ surfing and sailing. (such as / for example / like as)
Soluciones: 1 Despite · 2 However · 3 so · 4 such as. Para ver cómo usas el inglés en conjunto, la prueba de nivel corregida evalúa todas las destrezas.
Preguntas frecuentes: Conectores en inglés
¿Qué son los conectores en inglés?
Palabras o expresiones que unen ideas y muestran su relación: añadir (and, moreover), contrastar (but, however), causa (because), consecuencia (so, therefore), ejemplo (for example) o conclusión (in conclusion).
¿Qué conectores usar en un email formal en inglés?
Furthermore, moreover, however, therefore, as a result e in conclusion. Evita los informales como what's more o that's why.
¿Cuál es la diferencia entre although y despite?
Although va con sujeto y verbo (although it rained); despite va con nombre o -ing (despite the rain, despite being tired).
¿Cuentan los conectores en el Writing del Aptis?
Sí: la cohesión es uno de los criterios de corrección del Writing, junto con cumplir la tarea y no salirse del tema, variedad y corrección gramatical, puntuación, variedad y corrección del vocabulario.