In Brazilian Portuguese, conjunctions are used to connect and separate ideas in a sentence. In the following sentence, the word mas(but) is a conjunction that links and adds the idea of contrast:
Marina adora verduras, mas não gosta de brocólis.
Marina loves vegetables, but doesn't like broccoli.
There are two major types of conjunctions in Brazilian Portuguese: coordinating conjunctions and subordinating conjunctions. Luckily both types are invariable, which means they have only one form! In this post, we'll see the difference between them and look at some of the subtypes within each group. We’ll also see how some conjunctions, like se(if), tend to trigger specific verb moods, like the subjunctiveNo definition set for subjunctiveLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum..
Se eu soubesse, teria falado com você antes.
If I had known, I would have spoken to you earlier.
Ready to know more about conjunctions in Brazilian Portuguese? Keep reading this post!
Coordinating conjunctions connect elements of equal importance in the sentence. They are used to join similar elements together to create a smooth and cohesive flow of ideas. Let's see it in the example below.
Você quer café ou chá?
Do you want coffee or tea?
In the example above, the conjunction ou(or) connects the words café(coffee) and chá(tea) to provide a sense of choice between them. Importantly, these two elements don't depend on each other to make sense. We could also say, Você quer café?(Do you want coffee?) or we could say Você quer chá?(Do you want tea?) in two separate sentences, but the conjunction is used to avoid repetition and make the sentence clearer and more concise. It establishes a coordinating relationship between the two terms (coffee and tea).
Let's now take a look at some of the different types of coordinating conjunctions in Brazilian Portuguese!
You can use additive conjunctions to supply additional information to your sentence. The most well-known conjunction in Brazilian Portuguese is also an additive conjunction: e(and).
Eu gosto de ler livros e assistir filmes.
I like reading books and watching movies.
In the sentence above, e is a single word used to establish a relationship between two activities — ler(reading) and assistir(to watch), indicating that the speaker enjoys both.
Now, see below that some conjunctions can also be formed from more than one word:
O garçom não só foi simpático mas também me deu ótimas sugestões do cardápio.
The waiter was not only friendly but also gave me some great menu suggestions.
The conjunction não só… mas também… (not only…but also) emphasizes that two things about the waiter:
ele foi simpático(he was nice)
ele me deu ótimas sugestões do cardápio(he gave me some great menu suggestions)
O restaurante oferece tanto pratos vegetarianos como pratos com carne.
The restaurant offers both vegetarian and meat dishes.
The conjunction tanto…como(as many...as; both) is similar to não só… mas também but it is less emphatic.
O filme não era nem engraçado nem emocionante.
The film was neither funny nor exciting.
The conjunction nem…nem(neither...nor) is like the opposite of the two above. It shows that:
the film was not funny
the film was not exciting
Take a look at our chart to see these and other coordinating conjunctions in Brazilian Portuguese at a glance!
Alternative conjunctions like ou(or) are used to present a choice or alternative between two or more options. These conjunctions allow you to indicate that one thing can be chosen instead of another.
Eu não sei se eu deveria pedir pizza de muçarela ou pepperoni.
I don't know if I should order mozzarella pizza or pepperoni.
See in the example above that the conjunction ou(or) links two different choices for the pizza flavor: muçarela ou pepperoni(mozzarella or pepperoni).
Although ou is the most common alternative conjunction, there are other coordinating conjunctions with similar functions. For example:
Seja agora, seja mais tarde, nós precisamos conversar sobre isso.
Either now or later, we need to talk about this.
Ora ele está alegre demais, ora está muito irritado.
Sometimes he's too happy, sometimes he's very angry.
Quer ele vá de carro, quer ele vá de metrô, está sempre atrasado.
Whether he takes the car or the subway, he is always late.
As you can see in the examples above, alternative conjunctions are often repeated multiple times (seja…seja…, ora…ora…, quer…quer…). This is also possible with ou…ou(either…or).
Ou você assiste o filme ou termina de cozinhar.
Either you watch the movie or you finish cooking.
Adversative conjunctions like mas(but) are used to express a contrast between different ideas; they highlight a difference, contradiction, or unexpected relationship between the connected elements.
O teste foi difícil, mas consegui uma boa nota.
The test was hard, but I got a good grade.
In the example above, mas(but) indicates an unexpected contrast to the first idea. Even though the test was hard, I managed to get a good grade.
In addition to mas, there are other adversative conjunctions in Brazilian Portuguese, like mesmo assim(even so).
O teste foi difícil, mesmo assim consegui uma boa nota.
The test was difficult. Even so, I got a good grade.
The following conjunctions operate like mas and mesmo assim, but they sound more formal and appear more often in written language:
porém(but, however):
O teste foi difícil. Porém, consegui uma boa nota.
The test was difficult. However, I got a good grade.
contudo(nevertheless):
O teste foi difícil. Contudo consegui uma boa nota.
The test was difficult. Nevertheless, I got a good grade.
entretanto(nonetheless):
O teste foi difícil. Entretanto, consegui uma boa nota.
The test was difficult. Nonetheless, I got a good grade.
no entanto(nevertheless, however):
O teste foi difícil. No entanto, consegui uma boa nota.
The test was difficult. However, I got a good grade.
Notice how, in the examples above, these conjunctions are used at the beginning of a sentence. However, unlike in English, they can also appear after a comma in a single sentence:
O teste foi difícil, porém consegui uma boa nota.
Note that in written Brazilian Portuguese, mas(but) and almost all adversative conjunctions are placed after a comma, as in:
O filme foi interessante, mas achei o final um pouco decepcionante.
The movie was interesting, but I found the ending a bit disappointing.
The comma works as a pause to signal that the second part of the sentence will present a different idea or a contradictory element compared to the first part.
In Brazilian Portuguese, mas and mais are spelled differently but they are pronounced the same way: mais[mais] vs. mas[mais].
For this reason, in speech, it's hard to differentiate mas from mais. But, as you can see below, they are quite different in meaning, so you can differentiate the two from context:
Eu gosto de ir à praia, mas não sei nadar.
I like going to the beach, but I don't know how to swim.
Você quer mais café?
Do you want more coffee?
While mas is a coordinating conjunction used for contrasting ideas, mais is an adverb used to express quantity or increase. So, it's important to pay attention to the context and function of these words to understand their intended meaning in a sentence.
If you’d like to read more about spelling and pronunciation in Brazilian Portuguese, check out our other post!
You can use explanatory conjunctions like porque(because) to provide further explanation or clarification about a previously mentioned idea. These conjunctions expand on presented information and offer additional details.
Eu não participei da reunião porque estava de férias.
I didn't attend the meeting because I was on vacation.
In the example above, porque(because) explains the reason why I did not participate in the meeting. We could also express the same idea with the conjunction pois(because).
Eu não participei da reunião pois estava de férias.
I didn't attend the meeting because I was on vacation.
You may have noticed that the word porque can be written in several different ways in Brazilian Portuguese. Although the pronunciation is always the same, each variation has a particular meaning or function that distinguishes it from the others.
Porque is a conjunction that means “because” and is used to give the reason or cause of something, as in:
Eu vou dormir cedo porque estou cansada.
I'm going to sleep early because I am tired.
O porquê is a noun meaning “the reason,” and it is used to indicate the cause of something.
Eu quero saber o porquê você está cansada.
I want to know the reason why you're tired.
Por que is an interrogative word used in questions that means “why.” It's used when you want to ask for the reason or cause of something, as in:
Por que você está cansada?
Why are you tired?
Por quê is also used for questions and also means “why,” but it is used when por que comes at the end of the sentence.
Você está cansada por quê?
Why are you tired?
In Brazilian Portuguese, portanto(therefore) and other conclusive conjunctions indicate a result or a consequence regarding the information presented.
Bruna mudará de cidade, portanto terá que procurar um novo lugar para morar.
Bruna will move to another city, therefore she will have to look for a new place to live.
Since Bruna will be moving to a new city, it logically follows that she will have to find a new place to live. The conjunction portanto helps to establish the cause-and-effect relationship between the information, indicating that the decision to move leads to the need of finding a new place.
Portanto is more used in formal speech, but the conjunctions below are less formal ways to express the same idea:
então(so)
Bruna mudará de cidade, então terá que procurar um novo lugar para morar.
Bruna will move to another city, so she will have to look for a new place to live.
por isso(because of this)
Bruna mudará de cidade, por isso terá que procurar um novo lugar para morar.
Bruna will move to another city, because of this she will have to look for a new place to live.
aí, daí(then)
Bruna mudará de cidade, aí/daí terá que procurar um novo lugar para morar.
Bruna will move to another city, then she will have to look for a new place to live.
All the conclusive conjunctions above are placed after a comma in written language, as they connect two independent clausesNo definition set for independent clausesLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum., and not two elements, like e and ou do. It's also possible to place them at the beginning of a new sentence, followed by a comma, as in:
Bruna mudará de cidade. Portanto, terá que procurar um novo lugar para morar.
Bruna mudará de cidade. Então, terá que procurar um novo lugar para morar.
Bruna mudará de cidade. Por isso, terá que procurar um novo lugar para morar.
In Brazilian Portuguese, subordinating conjunctions are used to introduce subordinate clausesNo definition set for subordinate clausesLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.. Subordinate, or dependent, clauses rely on the main clause to provide additional information or modify the main clause.
Lara e Caio irão à praia se fizer sol.
Lara and Caio will go to the beach if it’s sunny.
The sentence above has a main and a subordinate clause which are linked by the conjunction se(if). Unlike coordinating conjunctions, subordinating conjunctions are used to introduce dependent clauses that cannot stand alone as independent sentences. But, like coordinating conjunctions, these small words can also give different ideas to the sentence by serving different functions. Let's get to know each of them.
The conjunctions que(that) and se(if) are considered “complementizer conjunctions” in Brazilian Portuguese, and introduce a subordinate clause that functions as a complementNo definition set for complementLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. or object of a verb in the main clause. For example:
Eu espero que os convidados cheguem logo ao evento.
I hope that the guests arrive soon at the event.
In the example above, que is followed by a subordinate clause with a verb in the subjunctive mood (cheguem). Some expressions of wishes, emotions, requests, doubt, or denial, when followed by que, trigger the present subjunctive.
The conjunction que(that) cannot be omitted from the sentence in Brazilian Portuguese, even though this is common in English.
✅ Fernanda me disse que estava indo para casa.
Fernanda told me that she was going home.
❌ Fernanda me disse estava indo para casa.
Fernanda told me she was going home.
In Brazilian Portuguese, it's common to use both que and se to introduce reported speech or indirect questions.
Felipa me disse que ia ao supermercado.
Felipa told me that she was going to the supermarket.
Não sei se a Fernanda já chegou em casa.
I don't know if Fernanda has arrived home yet.
Causal conjunctions like porque/pois(because) are used to introduce clauses that provide a reason or justification for an action or statement presented in the main clause.
Carlos não veio trabalhar porque/pois teve um problema pessoal.
Carlos didn’t come to work because he had a personal problem.
Causal conjunctions are usually followed by verbs in both the indicativeNo definition set for indicativeLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. and subjunctiveNo definition set for subjunctiveLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. moods. See more examples of causal conjunctions below:
como (as):
Como já estava tarde, preferi não te ligar.
As it was already late, I preferred not to call you.
já que(as):
Vamos sair mais cedo, já que o trânsito costuma ficar intenso nesta hora.
Let's leave early, as traffic tends to get heavy at this time.
uma vez que(as, once):
A empresa terá um novo projeto, uma vez que o financiamento seja aprovado.
The company will have a new project once funding is approved.
Quando(when) and other temporal conjunctions are used to introduce subordinate clauses that express a specific time or moment.
Eu te ligo quando eu chegar em casa.
I'll call you when I get home.
Some more temporal conjunctions that express the same idea:
assim que(as soon as):
Eu te ligo assim que eu chegar em casa.
I'll call you as soon as I get home.
logo que(as soon as):
Eu te ligo logo que eu chegar em casa.
I'll call you as soon as I get home.
As you can see in the examples above, temporal conjunctions often trigger the future subjunctive in Brazilian Portuguese.
Concessive conjunctions like embora(although) and apesar de(despite) express a contrast or concession to the main clause, indicating that the information in the subordinate clause is unexpected or contradictory to what is stated in the main clause. They present a condition that is contrary to what might be expected. For example:
Embora seja caro, vou comprar esse presente para a Paulinha.
Although it’s expensive, I’m going to buy this gift for Paulinha.
Ela sorriu apesar de estar triste.
She smiled despite being sad.
Although concessive conjunctions can be followed by verbs in the indicative or subjunctive mood, the following conjunctions will usually trigger the subjunctive:
ainda que(even though):
Ainda que eles estivessem cansados, ficaram na festa até o final.
Even though they were tired, they stayed at the party until the end.
por mais que(no matter how):
Por mais que economizassem, eles não conseguiriam comprar aquela casa.
No matter how much they saved, they couldn't buy that house.
If you want to know more about the difference between the subjunctive and indicative, don't miss our post!
We saw in the example above that embora means “although,” and it's a conjunction that expresses contrast between two clauses.
Embora Gabriela goste de brincar na rua, hoje ela quer ficar em casa.
Although Gabriela likes to play outside, today she wants to stay at home.
On the other hand, when the verb ir(to go) is followed by the word embora, the word has a very different meaning. It means “to leave” or “to go away,” and it’s used to indicate the action of leaving a particular place.
Já está tarde, vamos embora.
It's already late, let's go home.
The conjunction se(if) is a conditional conjunction, meaning that it introduces a subordinate clause in order to indicate a hypothesis or condition upon which the main clause depends.
Se não chover, vou à praia no fim de semana.
If it doesn't rain, I'll go to the beach on the weekend.
Se(if) is the most common example of a conditional conjunction. However, there are many others that express the same idea, and they often trigger the subjunctive.
a menos que(unless):
A menos que você pergunte, ele não te dará mais informações sobre isso.
Unless you ask, he won't give you more information about it.
a não ser que(unless):
Ele não poderá entrar na festa a não ser que mostre o convite.
He will not be able to enter the party unless he shows the invitation.
caso(in case):
Leve um casaco, caso esfrie mais tarde.
Take a coat in case it gets cold later on.
desde que (as long as):
Ela irá ao jantar desde que seja no sábado.
She'll go to dinner as long as it's Saturday.
Check out our post on “if” clauses in Brazilian Portuguese to learn a lot more about how to use conditional conjunctions.
Comparative conjunctions like como(as, like) are used to introduce clauses that establish a comparison or similarity.
Eles se comportam como se nada tivesse acontecido.
They behave as if nothing had happened.
Here are some others:
assim como(like):
Ele é tímido assim como eu.
He's shy just like me.
feito(like):
Ele estava chorando feito uma criança.
He was crying like a child.
que nem(like):
Patrícia acorda tarde que nem eu.
Patricia wakes up late like me.
Conjunctions like à medida que(as)are proportional conjunctions, meaning they introduce a subordinate clause whose action is directly related to the action described in the main clause.
À medida que o tempo passa, as pessoas ficam mais experientes.
As time goes by, people become more experienced.
There are two more common conjunctions that express the idea that one action or condition is directly related to, or proportional to, another.
quanto mais... mais(the more... the more):
Quanto mais estudo, mais aprendo.
The more I study, the more I learn.
conforme(the more... the more):
Conforme eu te conheço, mais gosto de você.
The more I get to know you, the more I like you.
Use final conjunctions like para que(to, in order to) to introduce clauses that express purpose or intention.
Vou colocar mais açúcar no bolo para que ele fique mais doce.
I'm going to put more sugar on the cake in order to make it sweeter.
Para que and the other conjunctions that express purpose usually trigger the subjunctive.
a fim de que(in order to):
Trabalhamos em equipe a fim de que o projeto fosse concluído a tempo.
We worked as a team in order to get the project completed on time.
de forma / de modo que(so that):
Ele explicou o problema de modo que todos pudessem entender.
He explained the problem so that everyone could understand.
Então(so) and other consecutive conjunctions are used to introduce a clause that indicates a consequence or result of an action expressed in the main clause.
Ele treinou muito, então ganhou a competição.
He trained a lot, so he won the competition.
Então(so) and other conjunctions establish a cause-and-effect relationship between the subordinate and the main clauses. See more examples of conjunctions below:
de modo que / de maneira que(in a way that):
O professor explicou a atividade de modo que todos pudessem entender.
⇓
O professor explicou a atividade de maneira que todos pudessem entender.
The teacher explained the activity in a way that everyone could understand.
In this post, we learned that conjunctions are words that connect other words, phrases, or clauses in a sentence. They establish relationships between the connected elements, such as adding information, contrasting ideas, showing cause and effect, etc. In Brazilian Portuguese, conjunctions can be coordinating or subordinating, and within each group, they are further classified according to their function in the sentence.
For a summary of the main coordinating and subordinating conjunctions, check out our chart! Then, you can practice using conjunctions in Brazilian Portuguese with this activity. Happy learning!
