Connectors · CEFR A1 · Starting
and / but / or — English conjunctions
Adding, contrasting, and giving a choice.
The shape
clause + and / but / or + clause
Join two short sentences into one.
In Hindi
जोड़ना, फ़र्क़ बताना, और विकल्प देना।
CoCap explains every structure in both languages, because a rule you understand in Hindi is a rule you can use in English.
The mistake to fix first
The sentence Indian-English speakers actually produce, and the reason it is wrong.
| Commonly said | Correct English |
|---|---|
I am tired but, I will come. | I am tired, but I will come. The comma goes before "but", not after. |
and / but / or examples
Easiest first. Every sentence is authored, with the Hindi it comes from.
I have a pen and a pencil.
मेरे पास एक पेन और एक पेंसिल है।
We ate and talked.
हमने खाना खाया और बात की।
My brother and sister are at home.
मेरे भाई और बहन घर पर हैं।
He is tired, but happy.
वह {थका|थकी} है, लेकिन खुश है।
I like both tea and coffee.
मुझे चाय और कॉफी दोनों पसंद हैं।
We went to the market and bought food.
हम बाजार गए और खाना खरीदा।
I came home and went to sleep.
मैं घर {आया|आई} और सो {गया|गई}।
He opened the door and came in.
उसने दरवाज़ा खोला और अंदर आया।
She saw me and smiled.
उसने मुझे देखा और मुस्कुराई।
I want tea, but not coffee.
मुझे चाय चाहिए, लेकिन कॉफी नहीं।
Easy to confuse with
Close enough to be mixed up with this one. Knowing the difference is most of knowing either.
- so / yet / norB1Join clauses the way written English does
- Compound & complexB1Join two ideas so the link between them is obvious
Questions people ask
- What is the and / but / or used for?
- Adding, contrasting, and giving a choice. In practice: join two short sentences into one.
- How do you form the and / but / or?
- clause + and / but / or + clause.
- What is the most common mistake with the and / but / or?
- Saying “I am tired but, I will come.” instead of “I am tired, but I will come.”. The comma goes before "but", not after.
Where and / but / or fits
Where this structure sits in the ladder, and what surrounds it.
and / but / or is a CEFR A1 structure — the starting band — and it belongs to connectors. CoCap’s syllabus files every structure this way so you can learn in order instead of jumping between whatever a search happened to return.
Reading it is not the same as saying it.
CoCap turns this page into practice: Hindi sentence in, English sentence out, corrected one thing at a time. Free, no card.
Practise the and / but / or →