How to use semicolons in Spanish

Guide to Spanish semicolons (;)

The semicolon (punto y coma) represents a pause longer than that of a comma and shorter than that of a full stop.

Semicolons are followed by a word in lowercase.

In many cases, a semicolon can be replaced by other punctuation marks, such as a comma, a full stop or a colon.

Read on to learn more about semicolons in Spanish with Lingolia.

Contents

Use a semicolon instead of a full stop to connect two independent clauses that are related in meaning.

Example:
Me encanta la música; voy a un concierto cada semana.I love music; I attend a concert every week.

Use a semicolon instead of a comma to connect two clauses that have the same structure and verb.

Ejemplo:
Yo vivo en Madrid, mi hermana vive en Valencia.I live in Madrid, my sister lives in Valencia.
→ Yo vivo en Madrid; mi hermana, en Valencia.I live in Madrid; my sister in Valencia.

Lists

Use a semicolon to separate groups of items in a list.

Example:
He vivido en varios países de Europa: Toulouse, Francia; Durham, Reino Unido; Dublín, Irlanda; La Laguna, España y Múnich, Alemania.I have lived in several European countries: Toulouse, France; Durham, United Kingdom; Dublin, Ireland; La Laguna, Spain; and Munich, Germany.

Or to separate a list of sentences.

Example:
Puedes usar la cocina común con la condición de que lo dejes todo limpio después de usarla; seas respetuoso con el resto de huéspedes del hotel; etiquetes tu comida antes de dejarla en el frigorífico y no saques ningún utensilio para uso externo.You may use the shared kitchen provided that you leave everything clean after using it; you are respectful towards the other hotel guests; you label your food before leaving it in the fridge; and you do not remove any utensils for external use.

If we have a list with items introduced em-dashes; we use a semicolon after each one. The final item is followed by a full stop.

Example:
El campamento de verano ofrece las siguientes actividades:
— excursión al Parque Nacional de Doñana;
— visita a una granja;
— taller de introducción al cultivo de hortalizas en casa.The summer camp offers the following activities:
— a trip to Doñana National Park
— a visit to a farm
— an introductory workshop on growing vegetables at home

Connectives

Adversative (perobut), concessive (aunquealthough) and consecutive (por consiguientetherefore) connectives are preceded by a semicolon and followed by a comma.

Example:
Pablo quiere ir al cine esta noche; sin embargo, no tiene dinero.Pablo would like to go to the cinema tonight; however, he doesn’t have any money.

If the sentence that follows is too long, use a full stop.

Example:
A Pablo le gustaría ir al cine esta noche. Sin embargo, sus padres no le han dado permiso y no tiene suficiente dinero ahorrado.Pablo would like to go to the cinema tonight. However, his parents have not given him permission, and he does not have enough money saved.