Conjunctions: Overview | Portuguese (Brazil) Grammar

A conjunction (conjunção) is a word whose only job is to glue clauses or phrases together. Portuguese conjunctions matter more than English ones for a single reason: some of them change the verb that follows, forcing the subjunctive mood. So a conjunction in Portuguese is not just a connector — it can be a trigger. This overview lays out the two big families, what each glues together, and why mood is part of the picture. The detailed inventories live on the subpages linked throughout.

The fundamental split

Every conjunction belongs to one of two classes, defined by what kind of thing it joins:

Coordinating (coordenativas) join elements of equal rank — two words, two phrases, or two independent clauses that could each stand alone.
Subordinating (subordinativas) attach a dependent clause to a main clause. The dependent clause cannot stand alone; it needs the main clause to lean on.

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The test: remove the conjunction. If the two pieces could each be a complete sentence on their own, the conjunction was coordinating. If one piece becomes a fragment that makes no sense alone, it was subordinating.

Compare. Coordinating — both halves are full sentences:

Ela cozinha e ele lava a louça.

She cooks and he washes the dishes. (two equal, independent clauses)

Subordinating — the second half can't stand alone:

Ela cozinha porque ele odeia cozinhar.

She cooks because he hates cooking. ('because he hates cooking' depends on the main clause)

The coordinating family

Coordinating conjunctions come in five traditional groups. You will meet the full set on the Coordinating Conjunctions page; here is the map:

Group	Function	Main members	Example gloss
Additive	adds	e, nem, não só…mas também	and, nor
Adversative	contrasts	mas, porém, contudo, todavia	but, however
Alternative	offers a choice	ou, ou…ou, ora…ora	or, either…or
Conclusive	draws a conclusion	logo, portanto, pois (postposed)	therefore, so
Explicative	justifies	pois, porque, que	for, because

Não tenho tempo nem dinheiro para isso.

I have neither the time nor the money for that. (additive: nem)

Estuda bastante, portanto vai passar.

He studies a lot, so he'll pass. (conclusive: portanto)

Coordinating conjunctions never touch the verb's mood — both clauses keep whatever mood they'd have alone. The contrast group is treated in depth on the Adversative Conjunctions page.

The subordinating family

Subordinating conjunctions are far more numerous because they encode the relationship between the dependent clause and the main one: time, cause, condition, concession, purpose, result, comparison. Here is the map (each has its own subpage):

Type	Relationship	Typical members
Causal	cause	porque, já que, visto que, como
Conditional	condition	se, caso, contanto que, a menos que
Concessive	"even though"	embora, mesmo que, ainda que
Temporal	time	quando, enquanto, assim que, depois que
Final (purpose)	"so that"	para que, a fim de que
Consecutive (result)	"so…that"	tão…que, de modo que
Comparative	comparison	como, conforme, do que
Integrant	embeds a noun clause	que, se

The integrant conjunctions que and se are special: they don't add meaning, they just package a whole clause as the object of a verb — Acho *que vai chover ("I think (that) it'll rain"), Não sei **se ela vem ("I don't know whether she's coming"). English often drops "that"; Portuguese keeps *que.

Acho que vai chover hoje.

I think (that) it's going to rain today.

Não sei se ela vem à festa.

I don't know whether she's coming to the party.

The mood question — the heart of it

This is what makes Portuguese conjunctions a grammar topic and not just a vocabulary list. Some subordinating conjunctions force the subjunctive; others keep the indicative. The dividing line is meaning:

Conjunctions that introduce a fact → indicative. The clause states something real.
Conjunctions that introduce something not-yet-real — a concession, a purpose, a hypothesis, an unfulfilled condition — → subjunctive.

Não saio porque chove muito.

I'm not going out because it's raining hard. (porque = a fact → indicative: chove)

Vou sair embora chova muito.

I'll go out even though it's raining hard. (embora = concession → subjunctive: chova)

Falo devagar para que você entenda.

I'm speaking slowly so that you understand. (para que = purpose → subjunctive: entenda)

Look at the two forms of the same verb: indicative chove (it's a fact that it's raining) versus subjunctive chova (the rain is being conceded, set against the action, not asserted). The conjunction chose the mood. This is the deep logic behind the whole Conjunctions and Mood Selection page and connects directly to Indicative vs Subjunctive.

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Concession (embora, ainda que), purpose (para que), and unreal/future condition (caso, contanto que) reliably trigger the subjunctive. Cause (porque) and most time-clauses about present/past facts stay indicative. Future time (quando, assim que + future event) takes the future subjunctive.

Conjunctions vs discourse markers

A note on overlap. Words like portanto, contudo, no entanto, além disso are conjunctions by grammatical category but also function as discourse markers — connectors that organize a whole text rather than just splicing two clauses. The difference is one of scope: as a conjunction the word links two clauses inside one sentence; as a discourse marker it links one sentence to the previous paragraph's idea. For the text-organizing inventory (sequencing, addition, contrast across sentences) see Discourse Markers: Overview. This page and its subpages stay focused on the conjunction as a grammatical category — its type, what it joins, and the mood it commands.

English comparison

English conjunctions almost never change the verb form. "Although it rains" and "because it rains" both keep "rains" — English lost a productive subjunctive centuries ago, leaving only fossils ("if I were," "lest he forget"). So the single biggest adjustment for an English speaker is internalizing that the conjunction can dictate the mood. You can't choose a Portuguese conjunction and then forget about the verb: picking embora commits you to a subjunctive three words later.

Common Mistakes

❌ Eu acho vai chover.

Incorrect — Portuguese keeps the integrant 'que' even when English drops 'that.'

✅ Eu acho que vai chover.

I think it's going to rain.

❌ Embora está chovendo, vou sair.

Incorrect — 'embora' (concession) forces the subjunctive, not the indicative 'está.'

✅ Embora esteja chovendo, vou sair.

Even though it's raining, I'll go out.

❌ Falo devagar para que você entende.

Incorrect — 'para que' (purpose) forces the subjunctive 'entenda.'

✅ Falo devagar para que você entenda.

I speak slowly so you understand.

❌ Não sei que ela vem.

Incorrect for 'whether' — use 'se,' not 'que,' for embedded yes/no questions.

✅ Não sei se ela vem.

I don't know whether she's coming.

Key Takeaways

Conjunctions split into coordinating (join equals — e, mas, ou, nem, portanto) and subordinating (attach a dependent clause — que, quando, porque, se, embora, para que).
Coordinating conjunctions never change the verb; subordinating ones may.
Mood is meaning-driven: factual conjunctions take the indicative (porque chove); concession, purpose, and unreal condition force the subjunctive (embora chova, para que venha).
The integrant que / se package a clause as an object — keep que even where English drops "that," and use se for embedded "whether."
Many conjunctions double as discourse markers; here the focus is the conjunction's grammatical type and the mood it governs.

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