Every argument and every story needs an ending move — a signal that says "I am now wrapping up." English does this with in short, in conclusion, all in all, in the end, anyway. Brazilian Portuguese has a rich set, and they split by what kind of ending you are making: summarizing what came before, drawing a logical conclusion from it, or just signaling "let's wind this down." On top of that sits the usual spoken-versus-written register divide. This page maps the whole closing toolkit.
Summarizing: em suma, em resumo, resumindo
These mean "in short / to sum up" — you are compressing what you already said. Resumindo (literally "summarizing") is the most conversational; em resumo and em suma are more written, with em suma the most formal:
Resumindo: ninguém quer pagar a conta.
To sum up: nobody wants to foot the bill.
O relatório aponta falhas de gestão, atrasos e estouro de orçamento. Em suma, o projeto fracassou.
The report points to management failures, delays and budget overruns. In short, the project failed.
Em resumo, a proposta é boa, mas chega tarde demais.
In short, the proposal is good, but it comes far too late.
Drawing the logical conclusion: portanto, logo
When the ending is a logical consequence of your premises — English therefore / thus — use portanto (neutral-to-formal) or logo (formal/literary). These overlap with the effect side of cause-and-effect linking, because a logical conclusion is an effect of the argument:
Todos os documentos estão em ordem e os prazos foram cumpridos. Portanto, o pedido será deferido.
All the documents are in order and the deadlines were met. Therefore, the request will be granted.
O número é divisível por dois; logo, é par.
The number is divisible by two; therefore, it is even.
Note the difference from summarizing: em suma says "here is everything boiled down," while portanto says "here is what follows from everything." A summary repeats; a conclusion deduces.
Resigned / open-ended closers: enfim, afinal, no fim das contas
This group signals the end of the discussion without necessarily summarizing or deducing. They carry a tone of "when all is said and done."
- enfim — "anyway / in short." In writing it tidily closes a list ("..., enfim, tudo"); in speech it often carries a resigned shrug, like English anyway or oh well.
- afinal (de contas) — "after all / in the end," appealing to an underlying truth.
- no fim das contas / no fim / no final — "in the end / at the end of the day," weighing the net result.
Fomos ao cinema, depois jantamos, demos uma volta... enfim, foi um dia ótimo.
We went to the movies, then had dinner, took a walk... anyway, it was a great day.
Não consegui o emprego. Enfim, fazer o quê.
I didn't get the job. Oh well, what can you do.
Afinal de contas, foi você quem me convidou.
After all, you're the one who invited me.
A gente brigou, discutiu, mas no fim das contas continuamos amigos.
We fought, we argued, but at the end of the day we're still friends.
Explicit conclusion frames: concluindo, em conclusão, para concluir
In formal writing and speeches, you can announce the conclusion outright with concluindo ("concluding"), em conclusão ("in conclusion"), or para concluir / para finalizar ("to conclude / to finish"):
Em conclusão, os dados confirmam a hipótese inicial.
In conclusion, the data confirm the initial hypothesis.
Para concluir, gostaria de agradecer a todos os envolvidos.
To conclude, I would like to thank everyone involved.
These are unmistakably formal/academic — natural in a thesis or a presentation, stilted in a chat.
Spoken wrap-ups: então, no fim
In everyday speech, Brazilians often close with the lightest possible markers: a trailing então ("so...") or no fim / no final ("in the end"). No bookish connector needed:
Aí choveu, o ônibus atrasou... então, a gente acabou não indo.
Then it rained, the bus was late... so, we ended up not going.
Pensei muito, mas no final resolvi aceitar a proposta.
I thought about it a lot, but in the end I decided to accept the offer.
A quick map of the closing toolkit
| Job | Spoken | Written / formal |
|---|---|---|
| Summarize | resumindo, enfim | em suma, em resumo |
| Deduce (logical) | então, por isso | portanto, logo |
| Weigh the net result | no fim (das contas), afinal | afinal de contas |
| Announce the end | então, no fim | em conclusão, para concluir, concluindo |
Common Mistakes
❌ Em suma, e além disso a empresa também demitiu cem pessoas.
Contradiction — 'em suma' announces a summary, but then you add a brand-new fact.
✅ A empresa cortou custos e demitiu cem pessoas. Em suma, fez um ajuste drástico.
The company cut costs and laid off a hundred people. In short, it made a drastic adjustment.
Once you say em suma, what follows must be a summary of what came before — not new information.
❌ Os dois lados estão de acordo. Em suma, o contrato será assinado.
Wrong relation — this is a logical conclusion, not a summary.
✅ Os dois lados estão de acordo. Portanto, o contrato será assinado.
Both sides agree. Therefore, the contract will be signed.
Use portanto to deduce; reserve em suma for compressing.
❌ Na conclusão da tese escrevi: 'Enfim, fazer o quê.'
Register — the resigned spoken 'enfim' has no place in an academic conclusion.
✅ Em conclusão, os resultados sustentam a hipótese.
In conclusion, the results support the hypothesis.
❌ Afinal de contas que você decidiu?
False friend — 'afinal' here is being misused as 'after all = finally/so'.
✅ Afinal, o que você decidiu? / No fim, o que você decidiu?
So / in the end, what did you decide?
In a question, afinal means "so, after all" and needs the normal question word order; it is not a slot-filler before que.
❌ No fim de contas continuamos amigos.
Fixed expression — it's 'no fim DAS contas', with the plural article.
✅ No fim das contas, continuamos amigos.
At the end of the day, we're still friends.
The idiom is frozen as no fim das contas ("at the end of the accounts") — keep the plural das contas.
Key Takeaways
- Summarize with em suma / em resumo / resumindo (compress what came before).
- Deduce a logical conclusion with portanto / logo — this overlaps with the effect side of cause-and-effect.
- Weigh the net result with no fim das contas / afinal / afinal de contas.
- Enfim means "in short" in writing but carries a resigned "anyway / oh well" in speech.
- For speeches and essays, frame the ending explicitly with em conclusão / para concluir / concluindo; in casual speech a trailing então or no fim does the job.
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Start learning Portuguese→Related Topics
- Cause-Effect Markers (Por Isso, Portanto)B1 — The two sides of causal linking in Brazilian Portuguese — cause connectors like 'porque' and 'já que' versus effect connectors like 'por isso' and 'portanto' — sorted by register.
- Reformulation Markers (Ou Seja, Isto É)B2 — Connectors that restate, clarify and self-correct in Brazilian Portuguese — 'ou seja', 'isto é', 'quer dizer', 'ou melhor' — and how they differ from adding a new point.
- Discourse Markers: OverviewA2 — What discourse markers do, how they link ideas across a text or conversation, and why Brazilian Portuguese sharply splits them between spoken and written registers.
- Causal Conjunctions (Porque, Já Que)A2 — How porque, pois, como, já que and visto que introduce a cause — all with the indicative, because a cause is asserted as real.