Commas in Spanish lists

The idea

Separate successive items with commas; in a simple complete list, the final item normally follows y or o without a comma.

Examples

• Compramos pan, queso y fruta.We bought bread, cheese and fruit.
• En el jardín crecen rosas, lirios y margaritas.Roses, lilies and daisies grow in the garden.
• Puedes venir el lunes, el martes o el jueves.You can come on Monday, Tuesday or Thursday.
• El taller necesita papel, tijeras y pegamento.The workshop needs paper, scissors and glue.
• La guía habla con calma, claridad y paciencia.The guide speaks calmly, clearly and patiently.
• Durante el viaje leímos, caminamos y descansamos.During the trip we read, walked and rested.

Watch out

Do not automatically put a comma before the final conjunction as in some English lists; other sentence structures can require one.

Try it yourself

1. Which mark separates the first two items? Trajo lápices, cuadernos y mapas. (coma / punto)

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   coma

   coma separates the pencils from the notebooks.

2. What comes before the conjunction in the simple list? Buscamos llaves, monedas y sellos. (sin coma / coma)

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   sin coma

   sin coma fits before the final conjunction in this simple list.

3. Which mark separates the first two options? Visita el río, el bosque o el lago. (coma / punto)

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   coma

   coma separates the river from the forest.

Use it today

Write a list of three things you need and check its punctuation.