A result clause answers the question what happened next, as a consequence? — it states the effect, outcome, or natural consequence of the situation in the main clause. It was so hot that we cancelled the hike. He talked so much that nobody else could get a word in. She practiced to the point that her fingers bled. In French, the result family is unified by one principle that distinguishes it sharply from the purpose family: results are facts that actually happened, not goals projected into the future. Because they are factual, result clauses take the indicative — not the subjunctive that governs purpose clauses, even when the same conjunction (de sorte que) can be used for both meanings.
This page covers the six main result markers — si...que, tellement...que, à tel point que, de sorte que, si bien que, and au point que — and explains the purpose-vs-result mood split that catches most learners off guard.
The core logic: result is fact, purpose is projection
Before drilling individual conjunctions, internalize this distinction. It explains every mood choice in this family:
- Purpose (so that, in order that) describes an aim — something that has not yet happened and may or may not happen. The clause is hypothetical, projected. → subjunctive.
- Result (so...that, with the consequence that) describes a real effect that has followed (or routinely follows) from a real cause. The clause is asserted as fact. → indicative.
Il parle fort pour que tout le monde l'entende.
He speaks loudly so that everyone can hear him. (purpose — subjunctive, intended outcome)
Il parle si fort que tout le monde l'entend.
He speaks so loudly that everyone hears him. (result — indicative, actual outcome)
The two sentences look almost identical in structure. The mood is the only signal of whether the listener should read the second clause as a goal or as a consequence. French speakers feel this distinction instantly; learners often don't. Master it, and de sorte que — the conjunction that can mean either so that or with the result that — will stop being a trap.
si...que — so...that (with adjectives and adverbs)
The construction si + adjective/adverb + que + indicative means so [X] that [Y]. It is the standard, neutral way to link an intensity to its consequence.
Il était si fatigué qu'il s'est endormi sur le canapé tout habillé.
He was so tired that he fell asleep on the couch fully dressed.
Le film était si long qu'on a fini par partir avant la fin.
The film was so long that we ended up leaving before the end.
Elle a parlé si vite que je n'ai rien compris.
She spoke so fast that I didn't understand anything.
Note that si here is not the si of conditional clauses (if). Same spelling, different word — this si is the intensifier (so, to such a degree), cognate with English so. There is no risk of confusion in practice because the structure is fixed: si + adjective/adverb + que always means so X that.
In a negative or interrogative main clause, si...que is sometimes replaced by tellement...que or aussi...que; we'll see tellement in a moment.
tellement...que — so much / so many that (with verbs and nouns)
Tellement...que and si...que overlap but distribute differently:
- Si...que attaches to adjectives and adverbs only.
- Tellement...que attaches to verbs, nouns, adjectives, and adverbs — it is the more flexible of the two.
Il a tellement plu hier qu'on n'a pas pu sortir.
It rained so much yesterday that we couldn't go out. (with a verb)
Elle a tellement d'amis qu'elle ne sait plus qui inviter à son anniversaire.
She has so many friends that she doesn't know who to invite to her birthday anymore. (with a noun + de)
J'ai tellement faim que je mangerais n'importe quoi.
I'm so hungry that I would eat anything. (with the noun-based expression avoir faim)
With nouns, the structure is tellement de + noun + que. The de is grammatically required when tellement quantifies a noun, just like in beaucoup de, trop de, peu de.
Il y avait tellement de monde au marché qu'on ne pouvait plus avancer.
There were so many people at the market that we couldn't move forward anymore.
With adjectives and adverbs, tellement and si are interchangeable, though si tends to feel slightly more written and tellement slightly more conversational:
Elle est tellement gentille qu'on lui pardonne tout.
She's so kind that we forgive her everything. (everyday)
Elle est si gentille qu'on lui pardonne tout.
She's so kind that we forgive her everything. (slightly more polished)
à tel point que / au point que — to the point that (intensification)
À tel point que and au point que both mean to such an extent that / to the point where. They mark a stronger, more dramatic result than si...que — the consequence is presented as remarkable or excessive.
Il a maigri au point que je ne l'ai pas reconnu dans la rue.
He lost weight to the point that I didn't recognize him in the street.
Elle s'est entraînée à tel point que ses mains étaient en sang.
She trained to the point that her hands were bleeding.
La situation s'est détériorée au point qu'on a dû fermer le magasin.
The situation deteriorated to the point that we had to close the shop.
Both take the indicative when describing an actual result. Au point que is slightly more common in everyday speech; à tel point que is slightly more emphatic and written.
A close cousin is au point de + infinitive, used when the subject is the same in both clauses:
Il était fatigué au point de tomber de sa chaise.
He was tired to the point of falling off his chair. (same subject — infinitive)
The same subject-matching reduction we saw in purpose clauses applies here: when the subjects match, French prefers the infinitive over a full que-clause.
de sorte que — the dual-mood conjunction
Now we reach the trap. De sorte que can mean either so that (purpose) or with the result that (result), and the mood of the verb tells you which:
- De sorte que
- subjunctive → purpose (so that, in order that).
- De sorte que
- indicative → result (with the consequence that).
Range tes affaires de sorte qu'on puisse marcher dans la chambre.
Tidy up your things so that we can walk in the room. (purpose — subjunctive)
Il a rangé ses affaires, de sorte qu'on a pu enfin marcher dans la chambre.
He tidied up his things, with the result that we could finally walk in the room. (result — indicative)
This is genuinely the same conjunction with two functions, distinguished only by the mood of the following verb. Native speakers parse this instantly — they hear puisse and know it's a goal, hear pouvait and know it's a consequence. For learners, the rule of thumb is to ask: is the main clause causing the second clause, or aiming at it?
- Causing (already happened) → result → indicative.
- Aiming at (not yet happened) → purpose → subjunctive.
si bien que — so that, with the result that (always result)
Si bien que is the unambiguous member of the family. It only introduces results, never purposes. It always takes the indicative.
Le train avait du retard, si bien qu'on a manqué la correspondance.
The train was late, with the result that we missed our connection.
Il a oublié son passeport, si bien qu'on a dû rentrer le chercher.
He forgot his passport, so we had to go back to get it.
Elle parlait très bas, si bien que personne n'entendait rien au fond de la salle.
She was speaking very softly, with the result that no one at the back of the room could hear anything.
Because si bien que unambiguously signals consequence, it is the safest choice when you want to make sure your listener reads a result and not a goal. In essays and reports, si bien que is the standard connector for chains of cause and consequence.
A close synonym in higher registers is de telle sorte que and de telle façon que — both mean the same thing as si bien que when followed by the indicative, and the same thing as pour que when followed by the subjunctive. The same dual-mood split applies.
Word order and sentence position
Most of these conjunctions sit in the middle of a sentence, after the main clause:
J'étais si fatigué que je suis allé me coucher à neuf heures.
I was so tired that I went to bed at nine.
A few — notably à tel point que and au point que — can also start a sentence as a continuation of the previous one, especially in writing:
Le bruit était insupportable. À tel point que les voisins ont fini par appeler la police.
The noise was unbearable. To the point that the neighbors eventually called the police.
This sentence-initial use creates a dramatic pause: the speaker drops the result onto its own sentence as a separate punch.
Si bien que and de sorte que can also start a new sentence in narrative writing, though this is more typical of journalism and essays than spoken French:
Le ministre a démissionné. Si bien que le gouvernement s'est retrouvé sans porte-parole pendant trois jours.
The minister resigned. With the result that the government was left without a spokesperson for three days. (journalistic)
Choosing between result markers
| Marker | Attaches to | Register | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| si...que + ind. | adjective, adverb | neutral, slightly elevated | Si fatigué que… |
| tellement...que + ind. | verb, noun (de), adj., adv. | neutral, all-purpose | The most flexible. |
| à tel point que + ind. | full clause | neutral, emphatic | Dramatic intensification. |
| au point que + ind. | full clause | neutral | Same as à tel point que, slightly less formal. |
| au point de + inf. | same-subject infinitive | neutral | Reduction when subjects match. |
| de sorte que + ind. | full clause | formal, written | Indicative = result. |
| de sorte que + subj. | full clause | formal, written | Subjunctive = purpose. |
| si bien que + ind. | full clause | neutral, written | Unambiguously result. |
Common Mistakes
❌ Il était tellement fatigué qu'il s'endorme sur le canapé.
Incorrect — result clauses take the indicative, not the subjunctive. The mistake is overgeneralizing the subjunctive rule from purpose clauses.
✅ Il était tellement fatigué qu'il s'est endormi sur le canapé.
He was so tired that he fell asleep on the couch.
This is the single most common error English speakers make once they have learned about the subjunctive. They drill pour que + subjunctive, then assume que after every so-word triggers the subjunctive. It doesn't. Result is fact, and fact is indicative.
❌ J'ai si beaucoup mangé que j'ai mal au ventre.
Incorrect — si attaches only to adjectives and adverbs, never directly to a verb like manger.
✅ J'ai tellement mangé que j'ai mal au ventre.
I ate so much that my stomach hurts.
When the intensification targets a verb (ate so much) or a noun (so many friends), only tellement works. Si is restricted to adjectives and adverbs. Picking the right intensifier for the right word class is half the battle.
❌ Il a tellement amis qu'il ne sait plus qui inviter.
Incorrect — tellement before a noun requires the partitive de.
✅ Il a tellement d'amis qu'il ne sait plus qui inviter.
He has so many friends that he doesn't know who to invite anymore.
When tellement quantifies a noun, the construction is tellement de + noun. This parallels beaucoup de, trop de, assez de. Forgetting the de is a frequent slip, especially under speech pressure.
❌ Il a parlé fort de sorte que tout le monde puisse l'entendre, et tout le monde l'a entendu.
Awkward — the subjunctive (puisse) makes this a purpose clause (he spoke loudly so that everyone could hear), but the second half asserts the result as a fact. The two halves contradict each other in mood.
✅ Il a parlé fort, de sorte que tout le monde l'a entendu.
He spoke loudly, with the result that everyone heard him. (result — indicative)
✅ Il a parlé fort de sorte que tout le monde puisse l'entendre.
He spoke loudly so that everyone would be able to hear him. (purpose — subjunctive)
The de sorte que mood-split error is rarer but more diagnostic. Choose the mood based on what you actually mean: is the second clause an intended goal or a real consequence?
❌ Elle s'est entraînée au point qu'elle pleure de fatigue.
Tense mismatch — the main clause is in passé composé (a closed past event), so the result clause should not be in the present unless describing a habitual or current state.
✅ Elle s'est entraînée au point qu'elle pleurait de fatigue.
She trained to the point that she was crying from exhaustion.
Once you have the right mood, sequence-of-tenses still applies. A passé composé main clause typically pulls the result clause into the imparfait or passé composé, depending on whether the result is presented as a state (was crying) or a bounded event (started crying).
Key takeaways
The French result family is unified by one principle: a result is a fact, and facts take the indicative. This is the inverse of the purpose family, which describes unrealized goals and therefore takes the subjunctive. Master the four core markers — si...que (with adjectives/adverbs), tellement...que (everywhere), au point que (dramatic), si bien que (unambiguously result) — and the de sorte que dual-mood trap stops being a trap. When you can switch de sorte qu'il puisse (purpose) to de sorte qu'il pouvait (result) consciously, you have internalized the entire system.
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