I didn't particularly want to write this, but because there are people who legitimately struggle with this, I was also pressured and bullied by A_Challenger_Arrives (not really hehe) to write this chapter, so I suppose I will. I will also do some more chapters on punctuation in Spanish soon.
Comma rules are different in every language. Some are closer to English than others. Comma rules in Spanish are incredibly close to English, and there aren't a heck-ton to begin with. I'll touch on the main ones.
1.) Separates independent and dependent clauses.
If you're fuzzy on the grammar of independent and dependent clauses, here's the main difference. An independent clause can stand by itself apart from a dependent clause in a sentence. A dependent clause cannot. For example:
Having finished her homework, Jane turned on the TV.
"Jane turned on the TV" can stand by itself in a sentence. "Having finished her homework" cannot. Therefore, the second clause is independent and the first is dependent. In Spanish, independent and dependent clauses are separated by a coma, or a comma.
En español, las cláusulas están separado por una coma. ｜In Spanish, the clauses are separated by a comma.
This rule is also found in English! Spanish just makes it more consistent. 😉
2.) Separates in list of items.
**Warning! The Oxford Comma (video about it in the margins) does not exist in Spanish! There is no comma after y or o!**
In a list of three items, you separate the first and second by a comma. Ex:
Fui a la tienda para obtener manzanas, naranjas y bananos. ｜I went to the shop to get apples, oranges, and bananas.
3.) Used before question tags.
Te gusta él, ¿o no? ｜You like him, don't you?
I should also note that the question marks do not appear until the question tag does.
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Language Bites, Volume I: Spanish ✔
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