o
/o/
The Spanish word for "or" is o.
o is a conjunction used to connect two or more possibilities or alternatives.
Which one should you use?
While o is the standard conjunction for "or", it changes to u when the word immediately following it begins with the sound /o/. This change is made to avoid cacophony.
How do you pronounce it?
/o/
Did you know?
- Spanish speakers may use the phrase o sea which literally means 'or it is' to mean 'in other words' or 'I mean'.
- When used in a question, o can sometimes function as a 'filler' word to seek confirmation, similar to how English speakers use 'right?' or 'eh?'
- While the word o is used for alternatives, its Latin ancestor aut was often used to express an exclusive choice, meaning one option must be true and the other must be false.
Examples in context
- O todo o nada.Either all or none.This sentence shows how to express the concept of all or nothing using o.Tatoeba #1067413 by Shishir, translation #2122118 by freddy1
- Es todo o nada.It's all or nothing.This sentence illustrates the phrase "all or nothing" with o.Tatoeba #564506 by Shishir, translation #562904 by kebukebu
- ¿Un beso o dos?One kiss or two?This sentence demonstrates how to offer a choice between two options using o.Tatoeba #2690500 by marcelostockle, translation #2690321 by fekundulo
- ¿Prefiere té o café?Do you prefer tea or coffee?
- Puedes elegir ya sea quedarte en casa o ir a la fiesta.You can choose either to stay at home or go to the party
- ¿Prefieres rojo o azul?Do you prefer red or blue?
- ¿Quieres té o café?Do you want tea or coffee?
- 1939 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daniel and Lucía are deciding what to eat for lunch.
- Daniel¿Comemos pizza o pasta?Do we eat pizza or pasta?
- LucíaPrefiero la pasta, Daniel.I prefer pasta, Daniel.
- DanielEstá bien, busco un restaurante.Okay, I'll look for a restaurant.
- LucíaGracias, eres muy amable.Thank you, you are very kind.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry o, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries o, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
