Result Clauses (Tão...Que, Tanto...Que, De Modo Que) | Portuguese (Portugal) Grammar

A result clause (oração consecutiva) expresses the consequence of something — the effect that follows from a cause. "It was so cold that the lake froze." "He studied so hard he ended up exhausted." Portuguese has a rich system of correlative pairs (tão...que, tanto...que, tal...que) and connector phrases (de modo que, de forma que, de maneira que) for this, and the single most important thing to remember is that result clauses take the indicative — because the result is a fact that happened, not a hope or a plan.

The core logic: result is factual, purpose is intentional

Before anything else, draw this line in your head:

Result clauses describe what did happen. Purpose clauses describe what was intended to happen.

Falou tão alto que todos o ouviram.

He spoke so loudly that everyone heard him. (result — they actually did hear)

Falou alto para que todos o ouvissem.

He spoke loudly so that everyone would hear him. (purpose — his intention)

In the first sentence, the hearing is a fact: it happened. That is why the verb is in the indicative (ouviram). In the second, the hearing is his goal — it may or may not have come to pass. That is why Portuguese switches to the subjunctive (ouvissem).

This is the deep reason behind every rule on this page. Once you internalize it, you will pick the right mood automatically.

💡

Result = fact = indicative. Purpose = intent = subjunctive. The same connector phrases (de modo que, de forma que) can introduce either — the mood is what tells them apart.

Pattern 1: tão + adjective/adverb + que

The most common way to build a result clause in Portuguese is the pair tão...que — literally "so...that". Tão (never tanto) modifies an adjective or an adverb.

Estava tão cansado que adormeci no sofá.

I was so tired that I fell asleep on the couch.

O café estava tão quente que me queimei a língua.

The coffee was so hot that I burned my tongue.

Correu tão depressa que ninguém o apanhou.

He ran so fast that nobody caught him.

A comida estava tão boa que repeti duas vezes.

The food was so good that I had seconds twice.

Notice the structure: main clause + tão + adj/adv + que + result clause (indicative). The comma before que is optional and often omitted in shorter sentences.

Tão is invariable

Unlike tanto, tão never changes form. It stays tão whether the adjective is masculine, feminine, singular, or plural.

As ruas estavam tão cheias que mal se podia andar.

The streets were so crowded that you could hardly walk.

Os miúdos estavam tão entusiasmados que não dormiram.

The kids were so excited that they didn't sleep.

Pattern 2: tanto + noun/verb + que

When you want to intensify a noun (how much of something) or a verb (how much activity), use tanto instead of tão. Here tanto agrees in gender and number with the noun it quantifies.

Havia tanta gente que não conseguimos entrar.

There were so many people that we couldn't get in.

Comeu tantos bolos que ficou com dores de barriga.

He ate so many cakes that he got a stomachache.

Choveu tanto que o rio transbordou.

It rained so much that the river overflowed.

Falou tanto que eu perdi o fio à meada.

He talked so much that I lost the thread.

The key contrast with tão:

What is being intensified	Word to use	Example
Adjective	tão (invariable)	tão alto que...
Adverb	tão (invariable)	tão depressa que...
Noun (countable)	tantos / tantas	tantos livros que...
Noun (uncountable)	tanto / tanta	tanta água que...
Verb	tanto (invariable, post-verbal)	trabalhou tanto que...

Ela tinha tantas dúvidas que o professor ficou trinta minutos a mais.

She had so many questions that the teacher stayed thirty extra minutes.

Estudei tanto que nem almocei.

I studied so much that I didn't even have lunch.

Watch the word order with verbs

When tanto intensifies a verb, it goes after the verb, not before.

✅ Trabalhou tanto que adoeceu.

He worked so much that he got sick.

❌ Tanto trabalhou que adoeceu.

Unnatural word order in modern speech (would be poetic/archaic).

The version with tanto fronted exists in literary Portuguese but sounds affected in everyday speech.

Pattern 3: tal + noun + que

When you want to characterize a noun by its quality or intensity rather than its quantity, use tal — "such (a)...". Tal often implies something extraordinary or remarkable.

Fez tal calor que ninguém saiu à rua.

It was such heat that nobody went outside.

Teve tal sorte que ganhou duas vezes seguidas.

He had such luck that he won twice in a row.

Deu um tal grito que assustou os vizinhos.

He let out such a scream that he scared the neighbours.

Chegou a casa com tal fome que comeu tudo o que havia no frigorífico.

He got home with such hunger that he ate everything in the fridge.

Tal is mostly invariable in this construction (tal calor, tal sorte), though it can pluralize as tais:

Fizeram tais barulhos que os vizinhos chamaram a polícia.

They made such noises that the neighbours called the police.

Tal...que vs tanto...que: a subtle difference

Both structures can feel interchangeable, but there is a shade:

Tanto / tanta / tantos / tantas → quantity (so much, so many).
Tal / tais → quality or kind (such a...).

Tinha tanta fome que comi três pratos.

I was so hungry I ate three plates. (quantity of hunger)

Tinha tal fome que nem sabia por onde começar.

I was SUCH a kind of hungry that I didn't even know where to start. (remarkable quality)

Pattern 4: de modo que, de forma que, de maneira que + indicative

These three connectors are near-synonyms meaning "so that, with the result that". With the indicative, they introduce a result. With the subjunctive, they introduce a purpose. This mood contrast is one of the most important in Portuguese subordination.

Result reading (indicative)

Gritou alto, de modo que todos o ouviram.

He shouted loudly, with the result that everyone heard him.

Caiu a chuva toda de uma vez, de forma que as ruas ficaram alagadas.

The rain all fell at once, so the streets got flooded.

O carro avariou na autoestrada, de maneira que chegámos duas horas atrasados.

The car broke down on the motorway, so we arrived two hours late.

Purpose reading (subjunctive) — compare

Falou devagar, de modo que todos o compreendessem.

He spoke slowly so that everyone would understand him. (intent)

Preparou tudo, de forma que não houvesse surpresas.

He prepared everything so that there would be no surprises. (intent)

Same words. Different mood. Different meaning.

💡

A comma before de modo que strongly biases the sentence toward the result reading — you are adding a consequence as an afterthought. No comma, and the reader is more likely to expect a purpose. This is stylistic convention, not a hard rule, but experienced writers use it.

Pattern 5: de tal forma/modo/maneira que

A very common variant adds tal before the noun — "in such a way that...". This slightly strengthens the intensity.

Correu de tal forma que chegou primeiro à meta.

He ran in such a way that he arrived first at the finish line.

Ela cantou de tal maneira que toda a sala ficou em silêncio.

She sang in such a way that the whole room went silent.

Escreveu o artigo de tal modo que ninguém ficou ofendido.

He wrote the article in such a way that nobody was offended.

This is a favourite of journalists and essayists — it lets you add a vivid result without being wordy.

Less common connectors

Que, bare, after tal or tanto

In concentrated speech, you can drop de and just use tanto...que:

Chorou tanto que ficou sem voz.

She cried so much that she lost her voice.

Tão / tanto...como / quanto

Not a result construction — these introduce comparisons. Don't confuse them. See complex/comparison-structures.

Ele é tão alto como o pai. (comparison, not result)

He is as tall as his father.

A tal ponto que, a ponto de + infinitive

A more emphatic way to reach a dramatic result:

Estava cansado a tal ponto que não conseguia manter os olhos abertos.

He was tired to such a point that he couldn't keep his eyes open.

Comeu a ponto de se sentir mal.

He ate to the point of feeling sick.

A ponto de takes the infinitive (which can be personal if the subject is different):

Gritaram a ponto de os vizinhos chamarem a polícia.

They shouted to the point that the neighbours called the police.

Sem que — a negative result equivalent

To say something happened without another thing happening, use sem que + subjunctive:

Saiu sem que ninguém reparasse.

He left without anyone noticing.

Entrou em casa sem que o cão o sentisse.

He came into the house without the dog sensing him.

Note: sem que takes the subjunctive because the clause is semantically negated (the noticing did not happen). This is not a true result construction but often fills a similar role.

Full summary table

Connector	Mood	Meaning	Register
tão + adj/adv + que	indicative	so...that (result)	neutral
tanto(s)/tanta(s) + N + que	indicative	so much/many...that	neutral
V + tanto + que	indicative	V so much that	neutral
tal + N + que	indicative	such (a)...that	slightly emphatic
de modo que / de forma que / de maneira que	indicative	so that (result)	neutral/formal
de modo que / de forma que / de maneira que	subjunctive	so that (purpose)	neutral/formal
de tal forma/modo/maneira que	indicative	in such a way that	formal/written
a tal ponto que	indicative	to such a point that	emphatic
a ponto de + inf	—	to the point of	neutral
sem que	subjunctive	without (negative result)	neutral

Narrative flow: how native speakers chain result clauses

In real writing and speech, Portuguese speakers stack result markers for dramatic effect. A short news report, for instance, might look like this:

Choveu tanto durante a noite que várias ruas ficaram alagadas, de tal forma que o trânsito ficou completamente paralisado.

It rained so much during the night that several streets got flooded, to such a degree that traffic was completely paralysed.

Two result clauses, cascading: tanto...que gives the first consequence (streets flooded), de tal forma que gives the next-order consequence (traffic paralysed). This is standard journalistic style.

Comparison with English

English uses mostly "so...that" and "such...that":

"It was so cold that..." → Portuguese Fazia tanto frio que... (noun) or Estava tão frio que... (adj)
"It was such a cold night that..." → Portuguese Foi uma noite tão fria que... or Foi tal noite fria que...
"so much rain that..." → tanta chuva que...

Two tricky differences for English speakers:

English says "so much rain" with "much" (an adverb-of-quantity). Portuguese says "tanta chuva" — tanta is an adjective agreeing with the feminine noun chuva. Never tão chuva (word salad) or muito chuva (ungrammatical in standard speech).
English doesn't mark the result/purpose mood distinction. "He spoke loudly so that everyone heard" is ambiguous in English — it could be result or purpose — but in Portuguese you must choose: de modo que todos ouviram (result, ind) vs de modo que todos ouvissem (purpose, subj).

💡

If you are translating from English and you're not sure whether the clause is result or purpose, ask: Did it actually happen? If yes, indicative. If it was merely the goal, subjunctive.

Register notes

(informal/neutral): tão...que, tanto...que, que alone.
(neutral/slightly formal): de modo que, de forma que, de maneira que.
(formal/written): de tal forma/modo/maneira que, a tal ponto que.
(literary): fronted tanto (Tanto chorou que...), fronted tal (Tal foi a surpresa que...).
(journalistic): cascading result chains as shown above.

Common Mistakes

❌ Estava tanto cansado que adormeci.

Incorrect — use tão before an adjective, not tanto.

✅ Estava tão cansado que adormeci.

I was so tired that I fell asleep.

❌ Havia tão gente que não entrámos.

Incorrect — before a noun, use tanto/tanta (agreeing with the noun), not tão.

✅ Havia tanta gente que não entrámos.

There were so many people that we didn't go in.

❌ Falei alto de modo que todos me ouçam.

Incorrect mood — the result (they actually heard me) requires the indicative.

✅ Falei alto de modo que todos me ouviram.

I spoke loudly, with the result that everyone heard me.

✅ Falei alto para que todos me ouçam.

I speak loudly so that everyone may hear me. (purpose)

❌ Comeu tanto bolos que ficou mal.

Incorrect agreement — tantos must match masculine plural bolos.

✅ Comeu tantos bolos que ficou mal.

He ate so many cakes that he felt sick.

❌ Trabalhou tão muito que adoeceu.

Incorrect — you cannot combine tão with muito to intensify a verb. Use tanto alone.