Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): No fue miedo, sino respeto por la montaña. - It wasn’t fear, but rather respect for the mountain.

Use sino after a negation to correct/replace what was just denied: No fue miedo, sino respeto = It wasn’t fear, but rather respect. Use pero to add a contrast without canceling the first part: Fue miedo, pero también respeto (It was fear, but also respect).

Is the comma before sino required?

Not strictly. With short elements, both No fue miedo, sino respeto… and No fue miedo sino respeto… are acceptable. A comma is common (and clearer if the second part is long or has its own verb), but it’s optional here.

Why the preterite fue instead of the imperfect era?

Fue (preterite) presents a completed assessment at a specific moment: you’re labeling what that feeling turned out to be. Era (imperfect) would describe it as background or ongoing: Al principio, no era miedo, sino respeto (At first, it wasn’t fear, but respect).

Why ser (fue) and not estar?

Ser classifies or identifies what something is. Here, you’re identifying the feeling: fear vs. respect. Estar describes states/conditions with adjectives: Estaba asustado (I was scared).

What’s the subject here? Where’s the “it”?

Spanish doesn’t need a dummy “it.” The subject is understood from context (e.g., “what I felt”). You could make it explicit: Lo que sentí no fue miedo, sino respeto por la montaña.

Can I say No fue miedo, sino que fue respeto por la montaña?

Yes. Use sino que when the second part has a conjugated verb. Your original is leaner because the second part is just a noun phrase (respeto por la montaña). Both are correct; the version without que is more concise.

What’s the difference between sino and si no?

sino (one word) = “but rather”: No fue miedo, sino respeto.
si no (two words) = “if not”: Si no fue miedo, ¿qué fue?

Why por in respeto por and not para?

With the noun respeto, Spanish typically uses por to mark the object of respect: respeto por la montaña. Para doesn’t work here. You’ll also hear respeto a and, more formally, respeto hacia.

Can I say respeto a la montaña instead of respeto por la montaña?

Yes. Both are widely used. Many Latin American speakers use por; a is very common in Spain (and also understood in Latin America). hacia is a bit more formal/literary: respeto hacia la montaña.

Why la montaña with the article? Could it be just montaña?

Spanish often uses the definite article with generic nouns: la montaña = “the mountains/the mountain environment” as a concept. Bare montaña here would sound off. You could also say las montañas if you want to stress mountains in general.

Does la montaña mean one particular mountain or mountains in general?

It can mean either, depending on context. In outdoors contexts, la montaña often refers to “the mountains” (the mountain environment) in general. If you meant a specific peak, context usually makes that clear.

Do I need an article with miedo or respeto? Why not un miedo?

Abstract, uncountable nouns after ser usually appear without an article: No fue miedo, fue respeto. Un miedo is only used when specifying a type/instance (e.g., un miedo terrible), which isn’t the case here.

Could I rephrase it with tener? For example, No tenía miedo; tenía respeto por la montaña?

Yes. That focuses on someone’s ongoing emotional state (tener miedo/respeto). The original focuses on classifying what the feeling was at a given point (ser).

Which fue is this—ser or ir?

It’s ser. The preterite forms of ser and ir are identical, but context decides. No fue miedo can only be ser (“was”), not ir (“went”).

Any pronunciation tips?

fue: one syllable [fwe].
miedo: two syllables [ˈmje-ðo]; ie is a diphthong, the d is soft.
sino: [ˈsi-no] (stress on the first syllable).
respeto: [res-ˈpe-to]; initial r is a strong trill in Spanish.
montaña: [mon-ˈta-ɲa]; ñ = “nyah.”

Does sino always need a preceding negative?

Yes. Sino contrasts with and corrects a negated statement: No fue X, sino Y. Without a negation, use pero.