para contrastar y comparar

When you want to contrast or compare to different ideas, you can use one of these transition words in Spanish: 

aunque – although, even though

Me gusta mucho el básquetbol, aunque el fútbol es mi deporte favorito. 
I like basketball a lot, although football is my favorite sport. 

pero – but

Sí quiero ir al cine, pero tengo mucha tarea. 
I do want to go to the movies, but I have a lot of homework. 

sin embargo – however, nevertheless

Me gustaría aprender francés, sin embargo prefiero el español.
I’d like to learn French, however I prefer Spanish. 

a pesar de – despite, in spite of

Ganamos el partido, a pesar de que éramos menos jugadores.
We won the game, in spite of having less players.

Other Useful Transition Words to Contrast and Compare:  

Al contrario
On the contrary

Aun así
Even so

Sino 
But

En cambio
On the other hand, instead

If your goal is to be fluent in Spanish, transition words are a crucial area of study. For that reason, it might be a good idea to keep the following list at hand, as you will always need a good transition word to make your speech and writing sound more natural.