Spanish · Greetings & Essentials

"Or" in Spanish: o

o

Say it: ohconjunction/ˈo/

Or in Spanish is o. Offer choices with café o té. Before a word starting with o or ho, switch to u: siete u ocho.

Drink offer

¿Quieres café o té?
Do you want coffee or tea?
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How to pronounce o

Say it

oh

/ˈo/

oh. Pure o, not a diphthong.

"Or" in Spanish: quick reference

SpanishEnglish
oor

Default choice word.

uor (before o/ho)

Siete u ocho; mujer u hombre.

sí o noyes or no

Binary ask.

ahora o despuésnow or later

Timing.

How to use o in real life

  1. 1Drink offer

    ¿Quieres café o té?

    Do you want coffee or tea?

    Classic choice with o.

  2. 2Transport

    ¿Vamos en uber o en metro?

    Shall we take an Uber or the metro?

    Plan.

  3. 3Schedule

    ¿Prefieres mañana o tarde?

    Do you prefer morning or afternoon?

    Booking.

Mistakes English speakers make with o

Incorrect: Café ou té?

Correct: Café o té?

Spanish uses o, not Portuguese ou.

Incorrect: Siete o ocho.

Correct: Siete u ocho.

Before ocho, write u instead of o.

Good to know

Menus and apps love pairs with o: dulce o salado, efectivo o tarjeta. The u spelling before o/ho is a small writing rule, not a different word.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Choosing a snack

  1. ChatPal

    ¿Palomitas dulces o saladas?

    Sweet or salty popcorn?

  2. You

    Saladas. ¿Y jugo o agua?

    Salty. And juice or water?

  3. ChatPal

    Agua. ¿Aquí o allá?

    Water. Here or over there?

  4. You

    Aquí, cerca de la pantalla.

    Here, near the screen.

This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.

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"Or" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Or" in Spanish

How do you say or?

O.

Coffee or tea?

¿Café o té?

When do I write u?

Before o or ho: siete u ocho.

Is o gendered?

No. O is a conjunction without gender.

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