Discourse markers are the signposts of a language — the words and phrases that show how one idea connects to the next. They tell your listener whether you are adding a point, contrasting it, sequencing it, explaining its cause, or wrapping up. Without them, sentences sit side by side with no visible relationship; with them, your speech and writing become cohesive. This page maps the whole landscape of Brazilian Portuguese connectors by function, and explains the single most important thing about them: BR draws a sharp line between the markers you use when speaking and the ones you use when writing.
What discourse markers do
A discourse marker does not usually change the truth of a sentence — it signals the relationship between chunks of discourse. Compare:
Choveu o dia todo. Não saímos de casa.
It rained all day. We didn't leave the house.
Choveu o dia todo. Por isso, não saímos de casa.
It rained all day. That's why we didn't leave the house.
The second version, with por isso, makes the cause-and-effect link explicit. The facts are identical; the marker just guides the listener through the logic. Good use of these markers is exactly what separates flat, list-like A2 production from fluent, connected B1–C1 discourse.
The big divide: spoken vs. written
This is the heart of the matter for Brazilian Portuguese. The same logical relationship is expressed by completely different words depending on register. Using a written connector in casual speech sounds stiff and bookish; using a spoken connector in a formal essay sounds sloppy.
| Function | Spoken (informal) | Written (formal) |
|---|---|---|
| Sequence / "then" | aí, daí, então | em seguida, posteriormente, por fim |
| Addition | e, também, ainda | além disso, ademais, outrossim |
| Contrast | mas, só que | porém, contudo, no entanto, todavia |
| Cause | porque, já que | visto que, uma vez que, dado que |
| Conclusion | então, no fim | portanto, logo, por conseguinte |
Aí eu cheguei em casa e fui dormir.
So then I got home and went to sleep. (spoken)
Os dados foram coletados; em seguida, procedeu-se à análise.
The data were collected; subsequently, the analysis was carried out. (written/academic)
The leftmost spoken forms — especially aí and então — do enormous work in everyday Brazilian conversation. The rightmost forms — outrossim, por conseguinte, todavia — would sound almost comically formal if spoken aloud at a bar, but they are perfectly at home in a legal brief or academic article.
The functional categories
The pages in this group are organized by what each marker does. Here is the map:
- Sequence — ordering events or steps in time: primeiro, depois, em seguida, por fim; spoken aí.
- Addition — piling on more of the same: além disso, também, não só... mas também; formal ademais.
- Contrast — turning against the previous idea: mas, porém, no entanto, contudo.
- Cause and effect — explaining why or what follows: porque, já que, portanto, por isso.
- Conclusion — summing up: enfim, em suma, portanto.
- Concession — admitting a counterpoint: embora, mesmo assim, ainda que.
- Exemplification / reformulation — restating or illustrating: ou seja, por exemplo, isto é.
Each of these has its own page with full detail. This overview just shows you the territory so you know where to go.
Primeiro a gente come, depois decide o resto.
First we eat, then we decide the rest. (sequence)
Ele é caro, porém vale a pena.
It's expensive, but it's worth it. (contrast, slightly formal)
Não estudou nada; portanto, não passou.
He didn't study at all; therefore, he didn't pass. (cause-effect / conclusion, written)
How this differs from English
English also splits register ("so" vs. "consequently," "but" vs. "however"), so the concept will feel familiar. The difference is in the density and the specific items. Brazilian spoken Portuguese leans much harder on a tiny set of multi-purpose markers — aí, então, né, tipo — than English does. Where an English speaker might vary "then / next / after that," a Brazilian narrator might just repeat aí five times, and it sounds completely natural. Conversely, written Brazilian Portuguese prizes variety and frowns on repeating e or mas, pushing you toward além disso, no entanto, and so on. So the register gap is wider, and the spoken side is more repetitive, than the English you are used to.
Discourse markers vs. pragmatic particles
Be careful not to confuse the textual connectors on this page with pragmatic particles like né?, tá?, aí (as a filler), viu, or sô. Pragmatic particles manage the interaction — checking agreement, softening, holding the floor, signaling shared knowledge — rather than linking ideas logically. "Tá frio, né?" ("It's cold, isn't it?") uses né to seek agreement, not to connect two clauses. Those belong to Pragmatics. This group is about the connectors that build the logical skeleton of a text or narrative.
Você vem amanhã, né?
You're coming tomorrow, right? (pragmatic particle, NOT a discourse connector — see Pragmatics)
Common Mistakes
❌ (texting a friend) Cheguei em casa. Outrossim, fui dormir.
Register clash — 'outrossim' is bookish formal in a casual message.
✅ Cheguei em casa. Aí fui dormir.
I got home. Then I went to sleep.
Pouring written connectors into casual speech is the classic learner error: it sounds like reading a contract aloud.
❌ (academic essay) Os custos subiram. Aí a empresa demitiu funcionários.
Register clash — 'aí' is spoken; writing needs 'por isso' / 'portanto'.
✅ Os custos subiram; por isso, a empresa demitiu funcionários.
Costs rose; therefore, the company laid off employees.
❌ Tá frio. Portanto, né?
Confuses a connector ('portanto') with a pragmatic particle ('né').
✅ Tá frio, né?
It's cold, right?
Don't reach for a logical connector when what you actually want is an interactional particle.
❌ E e e depois e também e ainda...
Over-relying on 'e' — childish/monotone in writing.
✅ Depois disso, além de tudo, ainda houve outro problema.
After that, on top of everything, there was yet another problem.
In writing, repeating e sounds immature. Vary your connectors to show the precise relationship.
Key Takeaways
- Discourse markers signal relationships between ideas (sequence, addition, contrast, cause, conclusion), not new facts.
- Brazilian Portuguese splits them sharply by register: spoken (aí, então, mas) vs. written (portanto, contudo, ademais).
- The spoken side is dominated by a few multi-purpose markers — especially aí and então.
- Don't confuse these textual connectors with pragmatic particles (né, tá) that manage the interaction.
- Browse the function-based pages in this group to find the right marker for each logical relationship.
Now practice Portuguese
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Start learning Portuguese→Related Topics
- Sequence Markers (Primeiro, Depois, Por Fim)A2 — How Brazilian Portuguese orders events and steps in time — primeiro, depois, em seguida, por fim in writing, and the all-purpose 'aí' in speech.
- Addition Markers (Além Disso, Ainda)B1 — How Brazilian Portuguese adds and reinforces points — além disso, também, não só... mas também — plus the false friend 'inclusive' that means 'even', not English 'inclusive'.
- Contrast Markers (Mas, Porém, Contudo)A2 — How Brazilian Portuguese signals contrast on a register ladder, from the everyday 'mas' to the formal 'porém', 'contudo' and 'todavia'.
- Discourse Particles: Né, Tá, Aí, EntãoA2 — A guide to the little words that do the interactional work of Brazilian conversation — né, tá, então, aí, sabe, olha, ó, pois é, and the vocative fillers cara and mano.
- Conjunctions: OverviewA2 — How Brazilian Portuguese conjunctions split into coordinating and subordinating types, what they join, and how the subordinating ones control verb mood.