Portuguese Conjunctions – All You Need to Know

Without conjunctions, we’d sound clumsy and robotic: I like apples. I like pears. I don’t like bananas. No one talks like that.

Conjunctions (aka linking words) prevent this choppiness. They let us combine words, phrases, or clauses in smoother, more elegant ways.

Some common Portuguese conjunctions are e, ou, mas, porque, quando, nem and se. Here’s some of them in action:

Eu gosto de arroz e batatas, mas a Joana não aprecia nem um nem outro.
I like rice and potatoes, but Joana prefers neither one nor the other.

Below, I’ll walk you through the main categories of Portuguese conjunctions. I’ll keep Portuguese and English side by side for easier comparison.

Coordinating conjunctions

Coordinating conjunctions link words, phrases, or clauses of equal grammatical rank. Here’s an example:

Eu pinto e ela toca guitarra.
I paint and she plays guitar.

Both clauses are independent and can stand alone:

Eu pinto. Ela toca guitarra.
I paint. She plays guitar.

There are different kinds of coordinating conjunctions. Let’s take a closer look.

Copulative

Copulative conjunctions add words, phrases, or clauses.

Conjunction	Usage example
e and	A Cristina é alta e morena. Cristina is tall and brunette.
bem como, assim como as well as	O Pedro assim como o Miguel gostam de matemática. Pedro as well as Miguel like math.
tanto . . . como, quer . . . quer both . . . and	Tanto eu como a Daniela somos músicos. Both Daniela and I are musicians.
não só . . . mas também not only . . . but also	Gosto não só do Brasil mas também dos outros países da América Latina. I like not only Brazil but also the other countries in Latin America.
nem . . . nem neither . . . nor	Eu não tenho nem tempo nem paciência para isto. I have neither time nor patience for this.

Adversative

Adversative conjunctions express a contrast between two ideas.

Conjunction	Usage examples
mas but, though	Gosto de viajar, mas raramente o faço. I like to travel, but I seldom do it.
porém, todavia, contudo however, yet, nevertheless	O Mário esteve em Lisboa, contudo não me visitou. Mário was in Lisbon, yet he didn’t visit me.
enquanto que whereas	Tu gostas de jazz enquanto que eu prefiro música clássica. You like jazz whereas I prefer classical music.

Disjunctive

Disjunctive conjunctions present mutually exclusive options.

Conjunction	Usage examples
ou or	Vens ou ficas? Are you coming or staying?
ou . . . ou either . . . or	Ou estudas ou trabalhas. Decide-te! Either you study or you work. Make up your mind!
ora . . . ora sometimes . . . sometimes	Ora estou em França, ora em Itália. Sometimes I’m in France, sometimes in Italy.
quer . . . quer não whether . . . or not	Quer aceites quer não, ele não vai mudar de ideias. Whether you accept it or not, he won’t change his mind.

Conclusive

Conclusive conjunctions introduce a result or conclusion.

Conjunction	Usage example
portanto, logo, por isso therefore, thus, so	Eu gosto de música ao vivo, por isso vou a concertos com frequência. I like live music, so I often go to concerts.

Subordinating conjunctions

Subordinating conjunctions connect dependent clauses (which can’t stand alone) to independent clauses.

Causal

Causal conjunctions introduce the cause of what the main clause expresses.

Conjunction	Usage examples
porque, pois because	Cheguei atrasado porque apanhei trânsito na estrada. I was late because I got stuck in traffic.
visto que, uma vez que since	Visto que fazes anos, vamos sair para festejar. Since it’s your birthday, let’s celebrate.
como as	Como estava com fome, decidi almoçar mais cedo. As I was feeling hungry, I decided to have lunch earlier.

Concessive

Concessive conjunctions introduce an idea that contrasts with the main clause.

Conjunction	Usage example
embora although	Gosto muito de Lisboa, embora lá vá raramente. I like Lisbon a lot, although I rarely go there.
apesar de despite, in spite of	Perdoo-te apesar do que me fizeste. I forgive you despite what you did.
ainda que, mesmo que even if, even though	Ainda que tentes, não vais conseguir. Even if you try, you won’t succeed.
por mais que no matter how	Não me consegues ganhar por mais que queiras. You can’t beat me no matter how hard you try.
nem que not even if	Não comia isto nem que me pagassem. I wouldn’t eat this even if I were paid.

Conditional

Conditional conjunctions introduce a condition that the main clause depends on.

Conjunction	Usage example
se, caso if	Avisa-me se vieres cá. Let me know if you come here.
desde que provided that	Podes dormir no meu quarto desde que não ressones. You can sleep in my room provided you don’t snore.
a menos que, exceto se, salvo se, a não ser que unless	Ela vem viver connosco a não ser que mude de ideias. She’s coming to live with us unless she changes her mind.

Final

Final conjunctions express purpose.

Conjunction	Usage example
para, a fim de to, in order to	Vou dar uma volta para espairecer. I will go for a walk to unwind.
para que so that	Põe os óculos para que possas ler as legendas. Put on your glasses so you can read the subtitles.

Temporal

Temporal conjunctions provide a time reference.

Conjunction	Usage example
quando when	Quando dei por ela, já era tarde. When I realized, it was already too late.
antes que before	Cala-te antes que eu perca a paciência. Be quiet, before I lose my temper.
depois de after	Lava os dentes depois do jantar. Brush your teeth after dinner.
logo que, assim que, mal as soon as	Avisa-me logo que chegues. Let me know as soon as you arrive.
sempre que whenever	Ajudo-te sempre que precises. I’ll help you whenever you need it.
desde que since	Sinto-me outro desde que vim para Portugal. I feel like a new person since I came to Portugal.
enquanto while	Fui ao supermercado enquanto as crianças não estavam em casa. I went to the supermarket while the children weren’t home.

Comparative

Comparative conjunctions imply comparison.

Conjunction	Usage example
como like	Ele comporta-se como uma criança. He behaves like a child.
como se as if	Ele comporta-se como se fosse uma criança. He behaves as if he were a child.
… do que . . . than	Está mais quente este ano do que o ano passado. This year has been hotter than the last.

Consecutive

Consecutive conjunctions introduce a consequence of the main clause.

Conjunction	Usage example
… de tal modo, de tal maneira . . . in such a way, so much so	Ele ficou chocado de tal modo que não conseguia falar. He was shocked in such a way he couldn’t say a word.

Integrating

Integrating conjunctions link the main clause’s verb to its object.

Conjunction	Usage example
que that	O Gabriel disse que vinha cá hoje. Gabriel said that he would come today.
se if	Ela perguntou-me se podia passar cá a noite. She asked me if she could spend the night here.

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Portuguese Conjunctions – All You Need to Know