Knowing how to end a piece of writing or a stretch of speech is as important as knowing how to start one. European Portuguese has a rich inventory of markers that signal "I am now wrapping up" — some formal enough to close a doctoral dissertation, others informal enough to end a phone call with your grandmother. The trick is matching the marker to the situation.
Unlike connectors such as porque or se, conclusion markers are adverbial phrases rather than conjunctions: they do not alter the mood of the verb that follows (no subjunctive is triggered). Their job is purely pragmatic — to signal to the listener that the final point is coming. Getting this signal wrong — saying pronto to end a job interview, or em última análise to end a WhatsApp message — marks you out instantly as someone who has not internalised Portuguese register.
Formal conclusion markers
These are the workhorses of academic writing, journalism, political speeches, and business reports. You will find them in the closing paragraph of nearly every essay written in Portuguese, and learning to deploy them naturally is essential for the B2/C1 writing exams.
| Marker | Literal meaning | Register note |
|---|---|---|
| em conclusão | in conclusion | neutral-formal, essay closer |
| para concluir | to conclude | neutral-formal |
| concluindo | concluding | neutral-formal (gerund form) |
| em suma | in sum | formal |
| em síntese | in synthesis | academic |
| em resumo | in summary | neutral |
| resumidamente | summarily / briefly | neutral |
| em última análise | in the final analysis | formal-academic |
| em face do exposto | in view of what has been set out | legal / bureaucratic |
| tendo em conta o exposto | taking into account the above | formal-academic |
| como se viu acima | as was seen above | academic, anaphoric |
Em conclusão, os dados recolhidos sugerem que o impacto ambiental foi subestimado nos relatórios iniciais.
In conclusion, the data collected suggests that the environmental impact was underestimated in the initial reports.
Tendo em conta o exposto, pode concluir-se que a reforma fiscal falhou em atingir os seus objetivos principais.
Taking into account what has been set out, it can be concluded that the tax reform failed to achieve its main objectives.
Em face do exposto, requer-se a V. Exa. o deferimento do presente pedido.
In view of what has been set out, I request that Your Excellency grant the present petition.
Semi-formal markers
These sit between the essay and the café. They suit magazine articles, opinion columns, and unstressed spoken discourse where you want to sound thoughtful but not pompous.
No fim de contas, toda a gente ficou satisfeita com o resultado.
At the end of the day, everyone was happy with the outcome.
No final, aquilo que parecia um desastre revelou-se uma oportunidade.
In the end, what seemed like a disaster turned out to be an opportunity.
À guisa de conclusão, gostaria de deixar uma pergunta aos leitores.
By way of conclusion, I would like to leave a question for the readers.
The phrase à guisa de conclusão is a mildly literary flourish — useful in op-eds but overblown in a school essay.
Colloquial markers
This is where European Portuguese diverges sharply from Brazilian usage. A Lisboeta closing a conversation will often string together two or three of these:
Pronto, é o que é. Não adianta continuar a falar nisso.
Right, it is what it is. There's no point in continuing to talk about it.
Então, lá está, foi por isso que não fui ao casamento.
So, there you go, that's why I didn't go to the wedding.
E é isto. Amanhã falamos outra vez.
And that's that. We'll talk again tomorrow.
Moral da história: nunca empreste dinheiro a familiares.
Moral of the story: never lend money to family.
Summarising versus concluding
Learners often treat em resumo, em conclusão, and portanto as interchangeable. They are not. The distinction is subtle but real, and careful writers observe it.
- em resumo / em suma — recapitulates points already made. You are compressing, not drawing something new out of them.
- em conclusão / em última análise — draws a final judgement from the points made. You are adding a new proposition (the conclusion itself).
- portanto / por conseguinte — flags a causal inference. It works at clause level, not at the macrostructure level.
Em resumo, discutimos três causas, duas consequências e uma solução.
To summarise, we have discussed three causes, two consequences, and one solution.
Em conclusão, a solução proposta é a única viável no curto prazo.
In conclusion, the proposed solution is the only viable one in the short term.
As provas são esmagadoras; portanto, o réu deve ser condenado.
The evidence is overwhelming; therefore, the defendant must be convicted.
Notice that em resumo can appear at the opening of a summary paragraph, while em conclusão belongs at the opening of the final paragraph. Using em conclusão to introduce a mid-essay recap is a common learner error.
Emphatic final markers
When you want the last point to land with weight — the rhetorical equivalent of a banged gavel — Portuguese offers a cluster of emphatic finalisers:
Por fim, resta agradecer a todos os que tornaram este projeto possível.
Finally, it remains to thank all those who made this project possible.
Em última instância, a decisão cabe ao eleitorado.
Ultimately, the decision rests with the electorate.
Definitivamente, não voltarei àquele restaurante.
I definitely won't be going back to that restaurant.
Note that finalmente in European Portuguese often carries a nuance of "at last" (relief after waiting), distinct from por fim which is more neutrally sequential. "Finally, the bus arrived" is Finalmente, o autocarro chegou — with exasperation baked in.
Caveat at the end — the final reversal
A stylish conclusion often contains a late twist: "despite everything, …" or "still, …" These markers feel like conclusion markers because they appear at the end, but technically they are concession markers that happen to close the argument.
Apesar de tudo, acredito que o país vai superar esta crise.
Despite everything, I believe the country will overcome this crisis.
Ainda assim, não deixa de ser preocupante o rumo que as coisas estão a levar.
Even so, the direction things are taking is nonetheless worrying.
Comparison with English
English has fewer dedicated conclusion markers than Portuguese and leans heavily on in conclusion, to sum up, and so. Portuguese writing — especially Iberian academic Portuguese — expects more variety. Using em conclusão three times in the same essay reads as repetitive; English-speaking learners therefore need to cultivate a rotation of equivalents (em suma, em síntese, em última análise, para concluir, em face do exposto).
Conversely, Portuguese has nothing quite like the English habit of ending a conversation with anyway… or so yeah. The nearest colloquial equivalents are enfim, pronto, and e é isto — but these carry slightly different undertones, and none is a perfect match.
An essay-closing template
For learners writing B2/C1 essays, here is a reliable three-sentence template for a concluding paragraph:
- Recap sentence — Em suma, ao longo deste ensaio procurou-se demonstrar que...
- New-judgement sentence — Em última análise, os dados apontam para uma única conclusão plausível: ...
- Forward-looking or caveat sentence — Apesar de tudo, a questão merece investigação adicional, sobretudo no plano...
This structure — summary, verdict, caveat — is the Iberian-academic standard. Examiners recognise it and reward it.
Mood and syntax note
Conclusion markers do not trigger the subjunctive. They are adverbial and sit outside the predicate. The verb that follows takes whatever mood the main clause requires independently:
Em conclusão, é imprescindível que o governo atue com rapidez.
In conclusion, it is essential that the government act swiftly.
Here the subjunctive atue is triggered by é imprescindível que, not by em conclusão.
Common mistakes
❌ Em conclusão que o projeto fracassou.
Incorrect — *em conclusão* is adverbial and does not take *que*.
✅ Em conclusão, o projeto fracassou.
In conclusion, the project failed.
❌ Pronto, caro professor, considero a minha tese demonstrada.
Incorrect — *pronto* is colloquial and clashes violently with academic register.
✅ Em suma, caro professor, considero a minha tese demonstrada.
In sum, dear professor, I consider my thesis demonstrated.
❌ Em conclusão, quero recapitular os três pontos principais.
Awkward — *em conclusão* promises a verdict, not a recap; use *em resumo* for summarising.
✅ Em resumo, os três pontos principais foram: ...
In summary, the three main points were: ...
❌ Finalmente, o autocarro chegou na hora certa.
Misleading — *finalmente* here implies relief after waiting, suggesting the bus was late.
✅ Por fim, o autocarro chegou na hora certa.
Finally / lastly, the bus arrived on time.
❌ Concluindo que os dados são claros, deveríamos agir.
Incorrect — *concluindo* as a discourse marker stands alone; adding *que* turns it into a content clause and changes the meaning.
✅ Concluindo, os dados são claros: devemos agir.
To conclude, the data is clear: we must act.
Key takeaways
- Match the register. Em conclusão and pronto occupy opposite ends of the scale; mixing them kills credibility.
- Summarising and concluding are different moves. Use em resumo to recap, em conclusão to deliver a verdict.
- Rotate your markers. Portuguese essays expect a variety — do not lean on em conclusão alone.
- Conclusion markers do not govern mood. The verb takes whatever mood the main predicate demands.
- PT-PT favours pronto, lá está, e é isto in speech — these are the markers that will make you sound local.
Related Topics
- Opinion MarkersA2 — How to introduce a personal stance in European Portuguese — from everyday *acho que* to formal *a meu ver*, with special attention to the mood shift after negation.
- Concession MarkersB1 — How to say 'although', 'even though', 'despite', and 'nonetheless' in European Portuguese — from subjunctive-triggering *embora* to the discourse adverbs *mesmo assim* and *ainda assim*.
- Topic Change MarkersB1 — How to pivot to a new topic, signal a related aside, or frame an utterance around a specific subject — from casual *quanto a* and *por falar em* to formal *no que diz respeito a*.
- Emphasis MarkersB1 — How to stress that something is true, genuine, or factual — from the everyday *realmente* and *na verdade* to the clefted *foi ele que...*, plus the distinctively PT-PT *de facto*.