e mais
And Also: E Mais
E mais means and. It adds one person or thing to another: Xan e mais Uxía, ti e mais eu (you and I). Before the article it joins with it: o pai e maila nai (the father and the mother).
How It Works
Adding, not contrasting. In this use mais means and. It is especially common with people, names and pronouns: Xan e mais Uxía, ti e mais eu, Eu mais uns amigos fomos de excursión. Plain e always works too; e mais underlines that both are included.
Three shapes, one meaning. mais alone, e mais and a mais all mean and. E mais is the one you will hear most.
Before the article: mailo, maila. Mais can combine with the second form of the article (lo, la, los, las). The final s of mais drops, as it does before that article form:
- mais + o → mailo: o avó e mailo neto
- mais + a → maila: o pai e maila nai
- mais + os → mailos: os tíos e mailos curmáns
- mais + as → mailas: as mans e mailas pernas
The contraction is optional: o pai e mais a nai is also correct. Do not add a second article after maila: it already contains one.
Pronouns and the verb. Joined pronouns keep their subject form: ti e mais eu, never ti e mais min. Two joined subjects take a plural verb: Ti e mais eu imos xuntos (we go), Xan e mais Uxía viven en Pontevedra.
Do not confuse. This mais is not mais meaning but, and neither of them has an accent. Máis, with an accent, means more.
Examples (5)
- Xan e mais Uxía viven en Pontevedra.
Xan and Uxía live in Pontevedra.
- Ti e mais eu imos xuntos.
You and I are going together.
Ti and eu together make we, so the verb is imos.
- Viñeron o pai e maila nai.
The father and the mother came.
Word by Word: Came the father and-also-the mother.
Maila is mais + a, using the second form of the article.
- Eu mais uns amigos fomos de excursión.
Some friends and I went on a trip.
Mais on its own, without e, also means and.
- Compramos o pan e mailo viño.
We bought the bread and the wine.
Mailo is mais + o.
Common Mistakes
Writing máis, with an accent, in e mais.
Xan e máis Uxía viven en Pontevedra.Xan e mais Uxía viven en Pontevedra.Máis with an accent means more. The mais that means and has no accent.
Adding the article again after mailo or maila.
Viñeron o pai e maila a nai.Viñeron o pai e maila nai.Maila already contains the article a, so a second article is one too many.
Using the prepositional pronoun min after e mais.
Ti e mais min imos xuntos.Ti e mais eu imos xuntos.Joined subjects keep their subject forms: eu, ti, el, ela.
How It Connects
Learn This First
E mais adds another item, with special article combinations in some forms.
Related Patterns
- maisMais as but
The other use of mais, meaning but.
Level 4 - The Second Form of the Article
Explains the lo, la forms that make mailo and maila.
Level 5 - eu / ti / el / ela / nós / vós / eles / elasSubject Pronouns
The subject pronouns joined by e mais, as in ti e mais eu.
Level 1 - Diacritic Accent
Why mais has no accent while máis (more) does.
Level 1 - ademais / en cambio / pola contraEveryday Connectors
Ademais (besides) adds a whole idea instead of joining two nouns.
Level 4
Words in This Pattern
Practice e mais in Bubblegum
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