In this lesson, you’ll learn expressions that will help you express yourself better and sound more intelligent in Portuguese.
We’re going to talk about connectors, which are words or expressions we use to connect sentences and ideas.
Learning how to use connectors is essential for expressing yourself well and fluently in Portuguese.
We’re going to cover 50 connectors in total, divided into 10 groups.
👉 This lesson includes a free worksheet with a summary of the lesson, many example sentences, and exercises for you to practice. Click here to download your free worksheet.
1. Connectors that indicate relevance and priority
em primeiro lugar (first of all)
Em primeiro lugar, gostaria de agradecer a presença de todos. (First of all, I would like to thank everyone for being here.)
antes de mais nada (before anything else)
Antes de mais nada, quero ouvir a sua opinião. (Before anything else, I want to hear your opinion.)
antes de tudo (first and foremost)
Antes de tudo, devemos garantir a segurança. (First and foremost, we must ensure safety.)
acima de tudo (above all)
Acima de tudo, devemos respeitar a opinião do outro. (Above all, we must respect other people’s opinions.)
Principalmente (mainly/above all)
João valoriza, principalmente, a honestidade. (João values, above all, honesty.)
2. Connectors that indicate sequence and continuity
depois (after)
Depois do trabalho, vou à academia. (After work, I’m going to the gym.)
após (after)
Após a reunião, enviarei o relatório. (After the meeting, I will send the report.)
logo depois (right after)
Logo depois da aula, irei almoçar. (Right after class, I’m going to have lunch.)
logo após (right after)
Logo após a chuva, o céu abriu. (Right after the rain, the sky cleared up.)
assim que (as soon asas soon as)
Pedro saiu assim que a reunião terminou. (Pedro left as soon as the meeting ended.)
3. Connectors that indicate conclusion or summary
por isso (for that reason)
Bruno estudou muito; por isso, passou na prova. (Bruno studied a lot; for that reason, he passed the exam.)
portanto (therefore)
Estou cansada; portanto, vou ficar em casa hoje. (I’m tired; therefore, I’m going to stay home today.)
logo (thus)
Ele não respondeu; logo, não está interessado. (He didn’t reply; thus, he is not interested.)
resumidamente (in short)
Resumidamente, precisamos reduzir custos. (In short, we need to reduce costs.)
em suma (in short)
Em suma, os resultados foram positivos. (In short, the results were positive.)
4. Connectors that indicate addition
também (also/too)
Ela fala inglês e também espanhol. (She speaks English and also Spanish.)
bem como (as well as)
O curso aborda gramática, bem como conversação. (The course covers grammar as well as conversation.)
assim como (as well as)
O professor, assim como os alunos, estava animado. (The teacher, as well as the students, was excited.)
além de (besides/in addition to)
Além de trabalhar o dia todo, ela estuda à noite. (Besides working all day, she studies at night.)
não só… como também (not only… but also)
Joana não só estuda, como também trabalha. (Joana not only studies, but also works.)
5. Connectors thatindicatecertainty
com certeza (for sure/certainly)
Com certeza, esta lição vai ser útil para você. (Certainly, this lesson is going to be useful for you.)
certamente (certainly)
Ela certamente chegará a tempo. (She will certainly arrive on time.)
sem dúvida (without a doubt)
Sem dúvida, este é um tema importante. (Without a doubt, this is an important topic.)
seguramente (surely)
Eles seguramente já sabem da notícia. (They surely already know the news.)
inegavelmente (undeniably)
Ela é, inegavelmente, muito competente. (She is undeniably very competent.)
6. Connectors that indicate doubt
talvez (maybe)
Talvez seja melhor esperar. (Maybe it’s better to wait.)
quem sabe (who knows/maybe)
Quem sabe ela aceite a proposta. (Who knows, maybe she’ll accept the proposal.)
provavelmente (probably)
Provavelmente vamos precisar de mais tempo. (We will probably need more time.)
possivelmente (possibly)
Possivelmente teremos uma reunião amanhã. (Possibly we’ll have a meeting tomorrow.)
é provável (it’s likely/ probably)
É provável que Carol esteja em casa agora. (Carol is probably at home right now.)
7. Connectors that indicate purpose or intent
para que (so that)
Vou explicar claramente para que todos entendam. (I’m going to explain clearly so that everyone understands.)
a fim de (in order to)
Ele saiu cedo a fim de evitar o trânsito. (He left early in order to avoid traffic.)
com a finalidade de (with the goal of)
O investimento foi feito com a finalidade de expandir o negócio. (The investment was made with the goal of expanding the business.)
com o propósito de (with the purpose of)
Ela economiza dinheiro com o propósito de viajar. (She saves money with the purpose of traveling.)
com o intuito de (with the intention of)
Eu criei esta lição com o intuito de ajudar meus alunos. (I created this lesson with the intention of helping my students.)
8. Connectors thatindicateopposition or contrast
porém (however/but)
Rafael estudou muito, porém não passou na prova. (Rafael studied a lot, but he didn’t pass the test.)
contudo (however/nonetheless)
O resultado foi positivo; contudo, há pontos a melhorar. (The result was positive; however, there are points to improve.)
no entanto (however/nonetheless)
Ele prometeu ajudar. No entanto, não apareceu. (He promised to help. However, he didn’t show up.)
mesmo que (even though/even if)
Mesmo que seja difícil, vou tentar. (Even if it’s difficult, I will try.)
embora (although)
Embora seja difícil, vale a pena tentar. (Although it’s hard, it’s worth trying.)
9. Connectors that indicate time and frequency
frequentemente (frequently/often)
Ela viaja frequentemente a trabalho. (She frequently travels for work.)
constantemente (constantly)
José verifica os e-mails constantemente. (José constantly checks his emails.)
simultaneamente (simultaneously)
Os dois eventos aconteceram simultaneamente. (The two events happened simultaneously.)
ocasionalmente (occasionally)
Ele visita os avós ocasionalmente. (He occasionally visits his grandparents.)
atualmente (currently)
Atualmente, Beatriz mora em São Paulo. (Currently, Beatriz lives in São Paulo.)
10. Connectors that indicate opinion
na minha opinião (in my opinion)
Na minha opinião, a Ana fez a escolha certa. (In my opinion, Ana made the right choice.)
a meu ver (in my view/the way I see it)
A meu ver, essa proposta é inviável. (The way I see it, this proposal is not viable.)
no meu entender (in my understanding/in my view)
No meu entender, o problema é a falta de planejamento. (In my view, the problem is the lack of planning.)
me parece que (it seems to me that)
Me parece que precisamos de mais dados. (It seems to me that we need more data.)
acredito que (I believe that)
Acredito que vamos alcançar bons resultados. (I believe that we will achieve good results.)
Free worksheet!
👉 This lesson includes a free worksheet with a summary of the lesson, many example sentences, and exercises for you to practice. Click here to download your free worksheet.
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