então

So/Then

Level 3

Então is the 'Swiss Army knife' of Portuguese connectors. It primarily means 'so' or 'then,' but it is also the most common way to start a sentence or fill a pause in conversation.

How It Works

1. Logical Consequence (So/Therefore)
In this role, it connects a cause to an effect. It is the informal equivalent of portanto. It is also used in conditional structures to introduce the result: Se [condição], então [resultado] (If... then).
Example: Está chovendo, então não vou sair. (It's raining, so I'm not going out.)

2. Temporal Reference (Then/At that point)
It refers to a specific moment relative to the context.
• Até então: Means 'until that point' or 'up to that moment.' While often used for the past, it can be used for the future if a reference point is established. However, até lá is the standard way to say 'until then' when referring to a future time from the present moment.
• Desde então: A very common phrase meaning 'since then.'
• Note on Register: Using então at the end of a sentence to mean 'at that time' (e.g., Eu morava lá então) sounds formal or literary. In everyday speech, use naquela época or naquele tempo.

3. Adjective (The then-current)
In formal contexts, então can be used as an invariable adjective placed before a noun to mean 'at that time' or 'the then-current'.
Example: O então presidente assinou a lei. (The then president signed the law.)

4. Conversational Filler and Agreement (Well/So then)
Native speakers use então constantly to start a sentence, change the subject, or prompt someone to speak. The fixed phrase Pois então translates to 'Well then' or 'In that case' and is used to resume a topic or draw a conclusion (note: to express agreement or resignation, use Pois é instead).
• Então?: Used as a standalone greeting (What's up? / How are things?) or to prompt someone for an answer (Well?).
• E então?: A highly frequent phrase used to ask 'And then?' (prompting someone to continue a story) or 'So what?' (challenging a statement).
• Então tá: A very common colloquial phrase used to agree to a plan or to wrap up a conversation (Alright then / Okay).
Example: Então, o que você decidiu? (So, what did you decide?)

5. Sequencing Events (Aí vs. Então)
In written, formal, and academic Portuguese, as well as in European Portuguese, então is perfectly correct and standard for sequencing events in a narrative (e.g., 'First we ate, then we left'). However, in casual spoken Brazilian Portuguese, using então this way can sound a bit unnatural or overly formal. In that specific context, Brazilians prefer to use aí or depois to mean 'then' or 'next' when telling a story.

6. Pronunciation Note
The 'ão' is a nasal diphthong. To become proficient in the sound, imagine the air coming through your nose. If you pronounce it like 'cow', it won't change the meaning of então (unlike words such as pão vs. pau, where it creates a different word), but it will make you sound heavily accented.

Examples (6)

  1. Estou com muita fome, então vou comer agora.

    I am very hungry, so I am going to eat now.

    Word by Word: I am with much hunger, so I go to eat now.

    Here, 'então' acts as a conjunction showing the result of being hungry.

  2. Então, como foi o seu dia?

    So, how was your day?

    Word by Word: So, how was the your day?

    In this case, 'então' is a discourse marker used to open a conversation.

  3. Até então, eu nunca tinha viajado para fora.

    Until then, I had never traveled abroad.

    Word by Word: Until then, I never had traveled to outside.

    This uses the temporal meaning, referring to a specific point in the past.

  4. Se você não quer ir, então não vá.

    If you don't want to go, then don't go.

    Word by Word: If you not want to go, then not go.

    Used in a conditional 'if/then' structure for emphasis.

  5. Eles se mudaram em 2010 e, desde então, moram em Lisboa.

    They moved in 2010 and, since then, they have lived in Lisbon.

    Word by Word: They themselves moved in 2010 and, since then, live in Lisbon.

    The fixed phrase 'desde então' means 'since then' and indicates a continuous action starting from a specific point.

  6. Então, você vem ou não?

    So, are you coming or not?

    Word by Word: So, you come or not?

    Used at the start of a question to prompt a definitive answer.

Common Mistakes

  • Pronouncing 'então' without nasalization.

    En-tao (rhyming with 'cow')
    En-tão (nasal sound)

    The 'ão' sound is strictly nasal. Failing to nasalize it makes the word sound unnatural or unintelligible to native speakers.

  • Overusing 'então' in formal writing.

    O experimento falhou, então repetimos o processo.
    O experimento falhou; portanto, repetimos o processo.

    While 'então' is grammatically correct, 'portanto' or 'por conseguinte' is preferred in formal academic or business writing.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

entãoLevel 3So/Then

Learn This First

To use 'então' effectively, learners should already be familiar with basic sentence structures and simple conjunctions used to connect thoughts. Since 'então' often introduces a result or a next step in a sequence, having a grasp of basic logical connectors is necessary.

Words in This Pattern

entãoentãoentão