Drawing conclusions with "por lo tanto"
When making official declarations, such as announcing a penalty after a doping scandal, you need formal connectors to link the cause to its logical result. The most common of these is por lo tanto (therefore).
| The athlete committed a serious fraud; therefore, he receives a suspension. | El atleta cometió un fraude grave; por lo tanto, recibe una suspensión. |
| The analysis reveals the substance; therefore, the federation confirms the suspension. | El análisis revela la sustancia; por lo tanto, la federación confirma la suspensión. |
Stating direct results with "en consecuencia"
Another way to express a logical outcome is en consecuencia (consequently). It is frequently used in formal reports to show the direct action taken because of a prior event.
| The coach did not cooperate; consequently, the federation announced an indefinite suspension. | El entrenador no colaboró; en consecuencia, la federación anunció una suspensión indefinida. |
| Doping harms the reputation; consequently, the federation annuls the result. | El dopaje perjudica la reputación; en consecuencia, la federación anula el resultado. |
Formal consequences with "por consiguiente"
For highly formal contexts, such as legal or disciplinary rulings, use por consiguiente (therefore / consequently).
| The team supported the doping; therefore, the result is final. | El equipo apoyó el dopaje; por consiguiente, el resultado es definitivo. |
| The cheater denied the doping; consequently, we disqualify the participant. | El tramposo negó el dopaje; por consiguiente, descalificamos al participante. |
Punctuation and the indicative mood
Notice the punctuation pattern in these official statements. When these connectors join two independent clauses in a single sentence, they are typically preceded by a semicolon (;) and followed by a comma (,).
Because these connectors declare factual outcomes and official decisions, the verb that follows them is always in the indicative mood.
| The athlete uses the substance; consequently, the suspension is indefinite. | El atleta usa la sustancia; en consecuencia, la suspensión es indefinida. |
| The athlete uses the substance; therefore, the judge annuls the medal. | El atleta usa la sustancia; por lo tanto, el juez anula la medalla. |