Copulative coordinating conjunctions (conjunções coordenativas copulativas), also known as cumulative conjunctions, link parts of the sentence together with a simple additive effect. Here are a few common examples:
- eand
- nemnor
- não só… como também (not only…but also)
- tanto…como (as well as)
Let’s see some examples of how to use these in a sentence:
Gosto de amarelo e de azulI like yellow and blue
Não tenho sede nem fomeI am neither thirsty nor hungry
Eu não só canto, como também dançoNot only do I sing, but I also dance.
Ela tanto cozinha, como comeShe cooks as well as eats
The word masbut can also be considered part of this group when it is used to mean eand
Example:
Ela é bonita, mas também inteligenteShe is beautiful but also intelligent
I think “também” should be in green? Just to underline the lesson.
thank you!
Hi, Alison. Done!
Am I right to think that mas também and como também are equivalent?
Yes, in this context they would be.
are you sure ‘copulative’ is the right adjective here & not eg ‘cumulative’? Brenda LeS
Yes, cumulative conjunctions and copulative conjunctions are just different terms for the same thing. I realize “copulative” also has other meanings in English… 🙈 but we went with that version since it matches the Portuguese word more closely. I’ll add a note to specify that they are also called ‘cumulative’.
Fairly easy to understand.
Thank you. I am getting confused again 🙂
Is “bem … como” the same as “tanto … como”, or are they used in different situations?
Thank you for explaining.
They are similar and can be used in the same contexts, but “bem como” should stay together, while “tanto… como” is split. For example:
– Tanto a Ana como o Miguel concordam comigo.
– A Ana bem como o Miguel concordam comigo.
I can’t totally see why not but the “tanto … como” construction can also be used when an infinitive is used, right? Weird example that would better be expressed using “não só… como também”, but could you say “tanto quero comer alguma coisa, como beber” in order to say “I want to eat something as well as drink”?
Yes, it can also be used with infinitives 🙂