Basic Conjunctions in Portuguese

In Brief

Use e for addition, ou for alternatives, mas for contrast, and porque for a reason. Então commonly introduces a result or the next step, while porém and portanto are more typical of careful speech and writing: Está tarde, então vou para casa means “It is late, so I am going home.”

Overview

Conjunctions are linking words: they connect words, groups of words, or complete ideas. They are what let you turn short statements such as Estou cansado. Vou dormir. into a more natural sentence: Estou cansado, então vou dormir (“I am tired, so I am going to sleep”). This is one of the first skills introduced at A1 because it immediately helps you explain choices, reasons, contrasts, and consequences.

The seven forms in this article cover several different relationships. E adds, ou offers an alternative, mas and porém contrast, porque gives a cause, and então and portanto point toward a result. They are all invariable, which means their form never changes for gender, number, person, or tense.

English-speaking learners can often begin with a direct equivalent such as e = “and” or mas = “but.” The match is not always exact, however. English “so” can mean “therefore,” “very,” or “in order that”; Portuguese does not use então for all of those meanings. Learning the relationship between the ideas is more reliable than replacing one English word at a time.

How It Works

The basic map

A clause is a group of words built around a verb, such as ela trabalha (“she works”). Some connectors can join individual words as well as clauses; others normally connect one complete idea to another.

Portuguese connector	Usual English equivalent	Relationship	Short example
e	and	addition	pão e queijo — bread and cheese
ou	or	alternative	hoje ou amanhã — today or tomorrow
mas	but	direct contrast	É caro, mas é bom. — It is expensive, but it is good.
porém	however, but	contrast, often more formal	É caro; porém, é bom. — It is expensive; however, it is good.
porque	because	cause or explanation	Fico porque quero. — I am staying because I want to.
então	so, then	result, response, or sequence	Acabei, então vou sair. — I have finished, so I am going out.
portanto	therefore, thus	logical conclusion	Acabei; portanto, posso sair. — I have finished; therefore, I can leave.

In everyday teaching, all seven may be called “conjunctions” or “connectors.” More precisely, e, ou, and mas are coordinating conjunctions: they join elements of equal status. Porque introduces a dependent reason clause (an idea that supports another clause), while então and portanto often behave like connecting adverbs. You do not need these labels to use them, but the labels explain why their punctuation and position are not always identical.

Adding with e

Use e between items that belong together:

• Falo português e inglês. — “I speak Portuguese and English.”
• A Ana compra pão e faz o jantar. — “Ana buys bread and makes dinner.”
• O quarto é pequeno e confortável. — “The room is small and comfortable.”

Portuguese keeps e before words beginning with an i sound: português e inglês. This differs from Spanish, where y may become e. Normally there is no comma before a simple final e, just as there is usually no comma in English “tea and coffee.” A comma can appear when clauses are long, subjects change, or the writer wants a deliberate pause, but beginners should not insert one automatically.

Choosing with ou

Use ou for alternatives. It can join nouns, times, actions, or clauses:

• Queres chá ou café? — “Do you want tea or coffee?”
• Podemos ir de carro ou podemos apanhar o comboio. — “We can go by car or take the train.”

The repeated pattern ou... ou... makes both alternatives explicit and corresponds to “either... or”:

• Ou estudamos agora ou estudamos depois do jantar. — “Either we study now or we study after dinner.”

A single ou may be inclusive (“one or the other, possibly both”) or exclusive (“one but not both”); context usually makes this clear. Everyday Portuguese does not require a special form for that distinction.

Contrasting with mas and porém

Mas is the normal, neutral way to introduce information that contrasts with what came before:

• Está frio, mas vou sair. — “It is cold, but I am going out.”
• Quero ajudar, mas não tenho tempo. — “I want to help, but I do not have time.”

A comma normally comes before mas when it joins two clauses. With very short contrasted words or phrases, no comma is needed: pequeno mas confortável (“small but comfortable”).

Porém expresses a similar contrast, but often sounds more deliberate or formal. It is common in written argument and careful speech. Unlike mas, it can move within the second clause:

• Queria sair; porém, estava a chover.
• Queria sair; estava, porém, a chover.

Both mean roughly “I wanted to go out; however, it was raining.” For ordinary A1 conversation, mas is the safer default.

Giving a reason with porque

Porque answers the question “why?” by introducing a cause or explanation:

• Estudo português porque gosto de línguas. — “I study Portuguese because I like languages.”
• Não saio porque estou cansado. — “I am not going out because I am tired.”

The reason can come first, especially when it sets the context: Porque estou cansado, vou dormir cedo (“Because I am tired, I am going to bed early”). In that order, a comma normally separates the opening reason clause from the main statement. When the porque clause follows directly and is essential to the meaning, Portuguese usually has no comma before it.

Do not confuse cause with result. Porque estou cansado tells the reason; então vou dormir tells what follows from that reason.

Showing a result with então and portanto

Então is extremely common in conversation. Depending on context, it can mean “so,” “then,” or “in that case”:

• Está tarde, então vou para casa. — “It is late, so I am going home.”
• Primeiro almoçamos; então vamos ao museu. — “First we have lunch; then we go to the museum.”
• Não tens fome? Então comemos mais tarde. — “You are not hungry? Then we will eat later.”

Portanto marks a conclusion that follows logically from the previous information. It is close to “therefore” or a more formal “so”:

• A loja está fechada; portanto, voltamos amanhã. — “The shop is closed; therefore, we will come back tomorrow.”

It is especially useful in explanations, presentations, instructions, and writing. In relaxed conversation, então is often more natural. Both words are commonly set off by a comma when they open the second statement. A semicolon or full stop can separate two independent statements; a comma alone is frequent in informal writing but is best avoided in careful prose when both sides are complete sentences.

Examples in Context

Portuguese	English	Note
Falo português e inglês.	I speak Portuguese and English.	E joins two nouns.
A Marta trabalha e estuda à noite.	Marta works and studies at night.	E joins two actions with the same subject.
Queres chá ou café?	Do you want tea or coffee?	A simple choice; queres is the tu form.
Você quer chá ou café?	Do you want tea or coffee?	Common Brazilian wording with você.
Ou vamos agora ou ficamos em casa.	Either we go now or we stay home.	Repeated ou emphasizes two alternatives.
O restaurante é pequeno, mas a comida é ótima.	The restaurant is small, but the food is excellent.	Contrast between two clauses.
Quero comprar o livro, mas é muito caro.	I want to buy the book, but it is very expensive.	Neutral everyday contrast.
O prazo terminou; porém, ainda aceitam inscrições.	The deadline has passed; however, they are still accepting registrations.	More formal contrast.
Estudo porque gosto.	I study because I like it.	Porque introduces the reason.
Ficamos em casa porque estava a chover.	We stayed home because it was raining.	European Portuguese progressive pattern.
Ficamos em casa porque estava chovendo.	We stayed home because it was raining.	Common Brazilian progressive pattern.
Não há autocarros, então vamos a pé.	There are no buses, so we will walk.	Everyday result; autocarro is common in Portugal.
Não tem ônibus, então vamos a pé.	There is no bus, so we will walk.	Informal Brazilian wording.
Primeiro lavo a loiça e então descanso.	First I wash the dishes and then I rest.	Então marks the next step.
Todos chegaram; portanto, podemos começar.	Everyone has arrived; therefore, we can begin.	A logical conclusion.

Common Mistakes

Using então for every English “so”

• Wrong: É então interessante. (intended: “It is so interesting.”)
• Right: É muito interessante.
• Why: Here English “so” intensifies the adjective and means “very.” Portuguese então expresses a consequence, sequence, or response; it is not the normal intensifier.

Confusing a reason with a result

• Wrong: Vou dormir porque estou cansado if you intend “I am tired, so I am going to sleep.”
• Right: Estou cansado, então vou dormir.
• Why: Porque introduces the cause (“because”), while então introduces the consequence (“so”). The sentence with porque is grammatical, but it organizes the same facts in the opposite direction.

Writing por que when the answer needs porque

• Wrong: Estudo por que gosto de línguas.
• Right: Estudo porque gosto de línguas.
• Why: In a straightforward statement giving a reason, use the single word porque. The spelling of Portuguese “why/because” forms has additional rules discussed below.

Treating porém exactly like mas

• Awkward: Porém quero ir, não posso.
• Right: Quero ir, mas não posso.
• Also right: Quero ir; porém, não posso.
• Why: Mas directly links the contrasted clauses and is the everyday choice. Porém behaves more independently and is normally separated by punctuation.

Adding an unnecessary comma before every connector

• Wrong: Compro pão, e leite.
• Right: Compro pão e leite.
• Why: No comma is needed when e simply joins two items. Commas are more typical before clause-level mas and around mobile connectors such as porém and portanto.

Usage Notes

Portugal and Brazil

The connectors themselves—e, ou, mas, porém, porque, então, and portanto—are standard across Portuguese-speaking regions. Differences around them usually come from vocabulary, pronouns, or verb forms rather than from the linking word. For example, European Portuguese commonly has Queres chá ou café?, while Brazilian Portuguese often has Você quer chá ou café? Both use ou in exactly the same way.

Então is frequent in both varieties and can also function as a conversational signal. A speaker may say Então? to mean something like “Well?”, “So?”, or “What happened next?” Its exact force depends heavily on tone and situation.

Speech and writing

For a beginner, mas and então cover most informal needs. Porém and portanto are not rare or old-fashioned, but they make the connection sound more explicit and often more formal. In an essay, report, or reasoned explanation, that precision can be useful. Repeating então in every sentence can sound loose; in formal writing, use it only where there is a genuine result or sequence.

Negative alternatives

The pattern nem... nem... means “neither... nor...” and is the negative counterpart of repeated ou:

• Não bebo nem café nem chá. — “I drink neither coffee nor tea.”

This is a useful extension, although nem is outside the core seven forms in this A1 concept.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master the following distinctions at A1, but you will encounter them in authentic writing and later study.

The four written forms related to porque

Portuguese spelling distinguishes forms that English often represents with “why” and “because.” Usage and spelling conventions have some differences between Brazil and Portugal, especially for interrogative por que/porquê, so follow the norm of the variety you are learning. The safest beginner contrast is:

• porque: introduces a reason — Saí porque estava cansado. (“I left because I was tired.”)
• porquê: a noun meaning “the reason,” normally with an article or another determiner — Não sei o porquê. (“I do not know the reason.”)

In Brazilian spelling, por que is standard in direct and indirect questions: Por que saíste? / Não sei por que saíste. In European Portuguese, question-final porquê and other interrogative patterns are common: Saíste porquê? At beginner level, learn complete model questions from your chosen variety rather than trying to derive every spelling from English.

Mas can correct, not only contrast

Besides setting two facts against each other, mas can replace or correct an earlier idea:

• Não é terça-feira, mas quarta-feira. — “It is not Tuesday, but Wednesday.”

In spontaneous conversation, it can also open an objection or reaction: Mas isso não é verdade! (“But that is not true!”). This discourse use connects what the speaker says to the wider conversation, not merely to one clause.

Other cause and result connectors

At higher levels, you will meet alternatives such as pois (“because,” “for,” or sometimes “therefore,” depending on position), por isso (“because of that/so”), contudo (“however”), and logo (“therefore”). They overlap with the basic set but differ in register, sentence position, and nuance. Do not assume that connectors with the same dictionary translation are interchangeable in every sentence.

Coordination and subordination

A coordinating connector joins equal grammatical units: Leio e escrevo. A subordinating connector makes one clause dependent on another: in Fico porque quero, porque quero explains the main statement fico. This distinction becomes important when you learn connectors that trigger the subjunctive (a verb form used in contexts such as uncertainty, purpose, or non-factual situations). Basic porque normally states a reason as fact and does not itself trigger that form.

Practice Tips

1. Build sentence pairs. Write two short facts, then join them in different directions: Estou cansado. Vou dormir. → Vou dormir porque estou cansado and Estou cansado, então vou dormir. This makes cause versus result visible.
2. Sort by relationship, not translation. Make six headings—addition, alternative, contrast, cause, result, conclusion—and place each new example under the correct heading. This prevents overusing the English word “so” as a shortcut.
3. Notice register while reading. Highlight mas and então in dialogue, then porém and portanto in news or explanatory texts. Read the whole sentence aloud and notice the pauses shown by punctuation.

Related Concepts

• Later development: Discourse Connectors — expands these basic links into precise, formal, rhetorical, and text-organizing relationships at C2.