Learn Spanish (Latin America): El metro es conveniente; en cambio, el autobús es lento por el tráfico. - The subway is convenient; however, the bus is slow because of traffic.

El metro es conveniente; en cambio, el autobús es lento por el tráfico.

The subway is convenient; however, the bus is slow because of traffic.

Breakdown of El metro es conveniente; en cambio, el autobús es lento por el tráfico.

Questions & Answers about El metro es conveniente; en cambio, el autobús es lento por el tráfico.

Why use en cambio here instead of just pero?

Both express contrast, but en cambio (however / on the other hand) is used specifically to compare two opposing situations or to highlight a direct difference. Here, it perfectly sets up the contrast between the convenient subway and the slow bus.

Why is it por el tráfico and not para el tráfico?

When you want to say 'because of' or 'due to' a noun, you must use por. It introduces the cause or reason for the bus being slow. Para is used for goals, destinations, or deadlines, not causes.

Since traffic can change, why does the sentence use es lento instead of está lento?

Using es lento (from the verb ser) describes a general, known characteristic of taking the bus in this city. If you used está lento (from estar), it would mean a specific bus is moving unusually slowly right at this very moment.

How does the punctuation work around en cambio?

When en cambio connects two complete, independent thoughts in a single sentence, it is usually preceded by a semicolon and followed by a comma. This works exactly like the word 'however' in English.