Consecutive conjunctions (conjunções consecutivas) connect a cause to the result it actually produced. They answer the question "with what consequence?" — He shouted so loud that everyone heard. The whole point of this group is that the result really happened, which is why the que-clause takes the indicative, not the subjunctive. That single fact separates result from purpose and is the most useful thing on this page. For the purpose group (so that), see Purpose Conjunctions.
The core frame: tão / tanto … que
The most common consecutive structure is a two-part frame. An intensifier — tão or tanto — sits next to the word it scales up, and a que-clause reports the consequence.
- tão + adjective/adverb + que — "so [adj/adv] that"
- tanto + que (with a verb) — "so much that"
- tanto/tanta/tantos/tantas + noun + que — "so much/so many [noun] that"
The difference is purely grammatical: tão modifies adjectives and adverbs, tanto modifies verbs and nouns. English does not force this split — "so" stretches over everything ("so tall," "so much," "so many people"). In Portuguese you must pick the right intensifier, and when it modifies a noun, tanto even agrees in gender and number.
Ele falou tão alto que todo mundo na sala ouviu.
He spoke so loud that everyone in the room heard.
Estava tão cansada que dormi no sofá com a roupa do trabalho.
I was so tired that I fell asleep on the couch in my work clothes.
Choveu tanto que a rua virou um rio.
It rained so much that the street turned into a river.
Veio tanta gente na festa que faltou comida.
So many people came to the party that we ran out of food.
Comprei tantos livros que não cabem mais na estante.
I bought so many books that they no longer fit on the shelf.
Notice that the verb in every que-clause is in the indicative — ouviu, dormi, virou, faltou, cabem. The result is a reported fact, so it lives in the world of reality. This is the engine of the whole group.
tal … que
tal ("such") works like tão but attaches to a noun rather than an adjective. It is a touch more formal and is common in writing and careful speech.
Ela tem tal talento para a música que ninguém duvida do futuro dela.
She has such a talent for music that no one doubts her future.
Foi tal o susto que ele largou o copo no chão.
Such was the fright that he dropped the glass on the floor.
In everyday Brazilian speech, people often replace tal with um(a) ... tão or simply with tanto: Ela tem um talento tão grande que... (informal). Tal sounds formal or even literary in many contexts.
de modo que / de maneira que / de forma que — the two-faced connector
These three phrases are interchangeable and mean roughly "so that / in such a way that." Here is the crucial subtlety, and it is where most learners go wrong: the same conjunction takes the indicative for an actual result and the subjunctive for an intended purpose.
Indicative = result (it happened):
Ele organizou os arquivos por data, de modo que ficou fácil encontrar tudo.
He organized the files by date, so that it became easy to find everything.
A ponte foi mal construída, de maneira que desabou na primeira enchente.
The bridge was badly built, so that it collapsed in the first flood.
Subjunctive = purpose (so that it would):
Organize os arquivos por data, de modo que fique fácil encontrar tudo.
Organize the files by date, so that it'll be easy to find everything.
Vou explicar de novo, de maneira que todos entendam.
I'll explain again, so that everyone understands.
Read the pairs side by side. In the result versions, the consequence already occurred (ficou, desabou) — it is a fact, hence indicative. In the purpose versions, the speaker is aiming at a goal that is not yet real (fique, entendam) — hence subjunctive. The conjunction is identical; the mood encodes the meaning. This is one of the cleanest demonstrations in the language of the indicative/subjunctive contrast doing real semantic work. See Indicative vs. Subjunctive for the full principle.
a ponto de + infinitive
a ponto de ("to the point of / to the point where") expresses an extreme result, but it takes an infinitive, not a conjugated que-clause. This sidesteps the mood question entirely, which is why it is a favorite escape hatch in speech.
Ela ficou nervosa a ponto de não conseguir falar.
She got nervous to the point of not being able to speak.
O barulho aumentou a ponto de os vizinhos chamarem a polícia.
The noise grew to the point where the neighbors called the police.
In the second example, chamarem is the personal infinitive (inflected for os vizinhos), a structure English has no equivalent for. You could also say a ponto de chamar with a bare infinitive when the subject is the same throughout.
A quick decision guide
| You want to say… | Use | Mood / form |
|---|---|---|
| so [adjective/adverb] that | tão … que | indicative (result) |
| so much that (verb) | tanto … que | indicative (result) |
| so much/many [noun] that | tanto/-a/-os/-as … que | indicative (result) |
| such [noun] that | tal … que (formal) | indicative (result) |
| and so, as a result | de modo/maneira/forma que | indicative (result) |
| so that (goal) | de modo/maneira/forma que / para que | subjunctive (purpose) |
| to the point of | a ponto de | infinitive |
Common Mistakes
❌ Ela falou tanto alto que ninguém entendeu.
Incorrect — 'alto' is an adverb, so it needs 'tão', not 'tanto'.
✅ Ela falou tão alto que ninguém entendeu.
She spoke so loud that no one understood.
❌ Veio tão gente que faltou comida.
Incorrect — 'gente' is a noun, so use 'tanta' (agreeing with the feminine noun), not 'tão'.
✅ Veio tanta gente que faltou comida.
So many people came that we ran out of food.
❌ A ponte desabou, de modo que seja perigoso atravessar.
Incorrect — the collapse is a real fact, so the result clause must be indicative.
✅ A ponte desabou, de modo que é perigoso atravessar.
The bridge collapsed, so it's dangerous to cross.
❌ Explique de novo de modo que todos entendem.
Incorrect — here the purpose is intended, not yet achieved, so it needs the subjunctive.
✅ Explique de novo de modo que todos entendam.
Explain again so that everyone understands.
❌ Ele estava nervoso a ponto de não conseguia falar.
Incorrect — 'a ponto de' takes an infinitive, not a conjugated verb.
✅ Ele estava nervoso a ponto de não conseguir falar.
He was nervous to the point of not being able to speak.
Key Takeaways
- The intensifier splits by grammar: tão with adjectives/adverbs, tanto with verbs and nouns; tanto agrees with the noun (tanta gente, tantos livros).
- A result clause reports something that really happened, so it always takes the indicative.
- de modo/maneira/forma que is a chameleon: indicative for a result that occurred, subjunctive for a purpose still aimed at.
- a ponto de dodges the mood question by taking an infinitive (often the personal infinitive when the subject differs).
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Start learning Portuguese→Related Topics
- Purpose Conjunctions (Para Que, A Fim de Que)B1 — How para que and a fim de que express purpose with the subjunctive, when to switch to para + infinitive, and how de modo que splits between purpose and result.
- Comparative Conjunctions (Como, Conforme)B1 — The connectors that build the second term of a comparison in Brazilian Portuguese — mais/menos (do) que, tão...quanto, tanto...quanto, assim como, bem como, que nem, and quanto mais...mais.
- Comparison SentencesA2 — How Brazilian Portuguese compares things at the sentence level — 'mais/menos (do) que', 'tão/tanto... quanto', irregular 'melhor/pior', and the correlative 'quanto mais... melhor'.
- Conjunctions and Mood SelectionB1 — The master table mapping each Brazilian Portuguese conjunction to the mood it governs — indicative, subjunctive, or future subjunctive — and the assertion principle that predicts them all.
- Indicative vs Subjunctive: Decision GuideB1 — A practical guide to choosing the indicative or subjunctive in Portuguese using the assertion test, trigger lists, and the negation flip with verbs like achar.