A result clause (oração consecutiva) states the actual consequence of a degree, quantity, or manner: "so tired that I fell asleep," "so much that he got sick." The thing to lock in from the start is the mood. Result clauses describe something that really happened as a consequence, so they take the indicative. This is the mirror image of purpose clauses (Purpose Clauses), which describe an intended, not-yet-real goal and therefore take the subjunctive. The mood is doing real work: it tells the listener whether you are reporting a fact or naming an aim.
This page covers the three main result patterns — tão ... que, tanto ... que, and the de modo que family — and contrasts result with purpose so the indicative/subjunctive split clicks.
Tão + adjective/adverb + que
Use tão ("so") before an adjective or adverb, then que + indicative for the consequence.
Eu estava tão cansado que dormi na poltrona.
I was so tired that I fell asleep in the armchair.
A música tava tão alta que ninguém se ouvia.
The music was so loud that no one could hear each other. (informal tava)
Ele fala tão rápido que eu não entendo nada.
He talks so fast that I don't understand anything.
The verb after que (dormi, ouvia, entendo) is plain indicative — the sleeping, the not-hearing, the not-understanding all genuinely occur. There is no doubt or intention involved; it is a reported outcome.
Tanto + que — with a verb
When the "so much" attaches to a verb (you did something to such a degree), use tanto after the verb, then que.
Ele trabalhou tanto que acabou adoecendo.
He worked so much that he ended up getting sick.
Chorei tanto naquele filme que fiquei com dor de cabeça.
I cried so much during that movie that I got a headache.
Here tanto is invariable because it modifies the verb (trabalhou, chorei), not a noun.
Tanto/tanta/tantos/tantas + noun + que
When "so much / so many" quantifies a noun, tanto becomes a determiner and agrees in gender and number with that noun: tanto, tanta, tantos, tantas.
Tinha tanta gente na festa que não coube todo mundo na sala.
There were so many people at the party that not everyone fit in the room.
Ele tem tantos problemas que nem sabe por onde começar.
He has so many problems that he doesn't even know where to start.
Comi tantos brigadeiros que passei mal.
I ate so many brigadeiros that I felt sick.
| What's being intensified | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| adjective | tão + adj + que | tão caro que não comprei |
| adverb | tão + adv + que | tão devagar que cheguei atrasado |
| verb | verb + tanto + que | estudou tanto que passou |
| noun (masc. sg.) | tanto + noun + que | tanto barulho que não dormi |
| noun (fem. sg.) | tanta + noun + que | tanta gente que não coube |
| noun (masc. pl.) | tantos + noun + que | tantos erros que reprovou |
| noun (fem. pl.) | tantas + noun + que | tantas dúvidas que desistiu |
De modo que / de forma que / de maneira que
These three are interchangeable and mean "so that / in such a way that," introducing a result in the indicative.
Ele explicou tudo com calma, de modo que ficou bem claro.
He explained everything calmly, so that it became quite clear.
Organizei os arquivos por data, de forma que fica fácil encontrar.
I organized the files by date, so that it's easy to find things.
When these phrases describe a real, achieved result, the verb is indicative (ficou, fica). There is, however, a subtle and important wrinkle: the very same phrase can be bent toward purpose — and then it takes the subjunctive.
Organize os arquivos por data, de modo que seja fácil encontrar depois.
Organize the files by date, so that it'll be easy to find later.
Notice seja (subjunctive). In this version, the easy-finding hasn't happened yet — it's the aim of organizing, not a reported fact. So de modo que + indicative = "and as a result, X happened"; de modo que + subjunctive = "in order that X may happen." The mood alone flips the reading from consequence to goal.
The big contrast: result (indicative) vs. purpose (subjunctive)
This is the conceptual payoff of the page. Compare:
Falei alto, de modo que todos me ouviram.
I spoke loudly, so that everyone heard me. (result — they did hear; indicative ouviram)
Falei alto para que todos me ouvissem.
I spoke loudly so that everyone would hear me. (purpose — the aim; subjunctive ouvissem)
Both sentences are about speaking loudly and people hearing. But the first reports that they heard (a real consequence → indicative), while the second names hearing as the goal of speaking up (an intended outcome → subjunctive). English uses "so that" for both and leaves the difference to context; Portuguese encodes it in the verb mood. Once you feel this, you can read the mood as a signal: indicative = "this is what happened," subjunctive = "this is what I was after."
Common Mistakes
❌ Ele trabalhou tão que adoeceu.
Incorrect — tão cannot modify a verb; use tanto after the verb.
✅ Ele trabalhou tanto que adoeceu.
He worked so much that he got sick.
❌ Tinha tanto gente que não coube.
Incorrect — gente is feminine, so tanto must agree: tanta.
✅ Tinha tanta gente que não coube.
There were so many people that not everyone fit.
❌ Eu estava tão cansado que durma na poltrona.
Incorrect — a real result takes the indicative dormi, not the subjunctive durma.
✅ Eu estava tão cansado que dormi na poltrona.
I was so tired that I fell asleep in the armchair.
❌ Ele fala tanto rápido que não entendo.
Incorrect — rápido is an adverb here, so it needs tão, not tanto.
✅ Ele fala tão rápido que não entendo.
He talks so fast that I don't understand.
❌ Falei alto de modo que todos me ouvissem — e de fato ouviram.
Inconsistent — if you're reporting that they actually heard, use the indicative ouviram.
✅ Falei alto, de modo que todos me ouviram.
I spoke loudly, so that everyone heard me. Real result → indicative.
Key Takeaways
- Result clauses report a real consequence, so they take the indicative.
- Tão
- adjective/adverb; tanto after a verb; tanto/tanta/tantos/tantas (agreeing) before a noun.
- De modo que / de forma que / de maneira que introduce a result in the indicative — but flip to the subjunctive when reinterpreted as a purpose.
- The deep point: mood distinguishes result from purpose. Indicative = it actually happened; subjunctive = it was the goal. See Purpose Clauses for the other half of the contrast.
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Start learning Portuguese→Related Topics
- Purpose Clauses (Para Que, A Fim de Que)B1 — How to express goals and intentions — para + infinitive for shared subjects, para que + subjunctive for different subjects, and the formal a fim de variants.
- Result Conjunctions (Tão...Que, De Modo Que)B1 — How Brazilian Portuguese expresses consequence with tão/tanto...que, de modo/maneira/forma que, tal...que and a ponto de — and why result clauses take the indicative while purpose clauses take the subjunctive.
- Subjunctive with Triggering ConjunctionsB1 — Conjunctions like para que, antes que, embora, and caso that always force the subjunctive in Brazilian Portuguese.
- Correlative Structures (Não Só ... Mas Também)B2 — Paired connectors like 'não só ... mas também', 'tanto ... quanto', and 'nem ... nem' that link parallel elements — including the agreement traps they create.
- Adverbs of QuantityA1 — Degree and quantity adverbs in Brazilian Portuguese — muito, pouco, mais, bastante, demais, tão, meio, bem — all invariable as adverbs, contrasted with their agreeing determiner uses; with a focus on the meio trap.