mais

Mais as but

Level 4

Mais, with no accent, means but: Quixen ir, mais non puiden (I wanted to go, but I could not). With an accent, máis means more.

How It Works

Mais = pero. Both introduce an opposition or a restriction to the first idea: O traballo é duro, mais págano ben (the work is hard, but they pay well). You can swap in pero without changing the meaning. In conversation most people say pero; mais sounds a little more careful and appears often in writing, the press and literature.

Mais or máis? The written accent tells two different words apart (see the diacritic accent):

  • mais = but: Chamei á porta, mais ninguén abriu.
  • máis = more: Queres máis café?

Both can appear in one sentence: Quero máis café, mais xa é tarde (I want more coffee, but it is already late).

Punctuation. As with pero, put a comma before mais when it joins two clauses.

Pronouns stay after the verb. Mais is a coordinating conjunction, like e and pero, so it does not pull an object pronoun in front of the verb: Pedinlle axuda, mais díxome que non (I asked him for help, but he said no). The pronoun moves forward only when something else triggers it, such as non: mais non me respondeu. See pronouns after the verb.

Not for corrections. When the second part replaces the first after a negative, use senón, not mais: Non é azul, senón verde.

Another use: and. In phrases like ti e mais eu (you and I), mais adds instead of contrasting. See e mais.

Examples (5)

  1. Quixen ir, mais non puiden.

    I wanted to go, but I could not.

  2. O traballo é duro, mais págano ben.

    The work is hard, but they pay well.

    Págano is pagan + o: after a verb ending in -n, the pronoun o becomes no.

  3. Pedinlle axuda, mais díxome que non.

    I asked him for help, but he said no.

    After mais the pronoun stays attached to the end of the verb: díxome.

  4. Chamei á porta, mais ninguén abriu.

    I knocked at the door, but no one opened it.

  5. Quero máis café, mais xa é tarde.

    I want more coffee, but it is already late.

    Máis with an accent means more; mais without one means but.

Common Mistakes

  • Writing máis, with an accent, when you mean but.

    Quixen ir, máis non puiden.
    Quixen ir, mais non puiden.

    Máis with an accent means more. The conjunction but is written without an accent.

  • Using mais to correct something after a negative.

    Non é azul, mais verde.
    Non é azul, senón verde.

    When the second word replaces the first, Galician uses senón, not mais or pero.

  • Moving the pronoun in front of the verb after mais.

    Pedinlle axuda, mais me dixo que non.
    Pedinlle axuda, mais díxome que non.

    Mais does not attract pronouns, so in a plain statement the pronoun goes after the verb.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

maisLevel 4Mais as but

Learn This First

Mais expresses contrast like pero, with a different spelling from comparative máis.

Words in This Pattern