Different ways to say "so......." and different meanings

Question

So, I start every thread by saying "so" and I say "so" like a million times a day, so sue me.

Let's go over some ways to say this.

• Así que - the default way I learned to say so. Used like .... so don't let me fall. Así que no me dejes caer. It's going to be hard, so study hard. El examen va a a ser muy díficil así que debes estudiar mucho.
• Por eso - more like "that's why"...... I'm angry so I don't want to talk about things right now. Estoy enojado, por eso no quiero hablar de ninguna cosa ahora. (is ninguna cosa right here?").
• De modo que - I think it's mostly used at the front of a sentence. So, a bicycle is the fastest way to travel through here? De modo que la bicicleta es la manera más rápido viajar por aquí. (is this right?)
• O sea, que. Used to wrap up a conversation, if I understand right, to end the conversation like "and therefore having said everything the end result is.......". (long story about how money is not an issue this weekend......ends with...... (o sea, que esta fin de semana todo es gratis.)

I had originally learned that "de modo que" means "and so as a result of that". but lately I think of it just as "so" because there is so much to learn.

Gracias por darme sus pensamientos. (is this right?)

• interesting post! - margaretbl Sep 4, 2010

Answer 1

Así que - the default way I learned to say so. Used like .... so don't let me fall. Así que no me dejes caer. It's going to be hard, so study hard. El examen va a a ser muy díficil así que debes estudiar mucho.

They sound OK to me.

Por eso - more like "that's why"...... I'm angry so I don't want to talk about things right now. Estoy enojado, por eso no quiero hablar de ninguna cosa ahora. (is ninguna cosa right here?").

It makes sense, but it doesn't feel totally right. "Por eso" is more like "For that reason". Imagine someone saying "I'm angry. For that reason, I don't want to talk..." Nothing wrong, but... would you say that?

De modo que - I think it's mostly used at the front of a sentence. So, a bicycle is the fastest way to travel through here? De modo que la bicicleta es la manera más rápido viajar por aquí. (is this right?)

I would use "Así que" instead of this option, unless you want to use a more formal style. They are practically the same, ignoring the register.

O sea, que. Used to wrap up a conversation, if I understand right, to end the conversation like "and therefore having said everything the end result is.......". (long story about how money is not an issue this weekend......ends with...... (o sea, que esta fin de semana todo es gratis.)

"O sea" is not connected to that "que". Look at the example below:

Me gustan las mujeres grandes, o sea, con un poco de grasa. (o sea = ie.)

Again, it summarises or wraps up everything that has been said so far. That "que" is there because:

Estás cansado. Es decir, no quieres venir.

Estás cansado. Es decir, (me estás diciendo) que no quieres venir

I had originally learned that "de modo que" means "and so as a result of that". but lately I think of it just as "so" because there is so much to learn.

It is like "de modo que", but people often use "así que" and "para que" much more often.

• Me gustan las mujeres grandes, o sea, con un poco de grasa..... that "o sea" looks like "in other words" or "that is to say" so I am confused even more. So - jeezzle Sep 3, 2010
• "In other words" make perfect sense here. - lazarus1907 Sep 3, 2010

Answer 2

Gracias por darme sus pensamientos. (is this right?)

That's like "Thanks for handing over to me your thoughts". It makes some sense, but idiomatically it sounds strange. Try "Gracias (de antemano) por sus sugerencias / aportaciones", "Gracias (de antemano) por sus contribuciones (this is a bit formal),...

Now I'll read the rest of the message, hehe.

Answer 3

o sea, que esta fin de semana todo es gratis

Actually, the sentence would be more idiomatic without the "que".

O sea (summing up), ¿este fin de semana....?

Answer 4

"in other words" or "that is to say". I have always thought of it that way. Only today, using "o sea que" have I encountered the idea "summing up" or "the final thought to say is" and I assumed it was because of the added "que" on the end.

"In other words", "That is to say", "i.e." and "summing up" can be used pretty much to say the same thing in many contexts. That "que" in the end is a link that feels very natural in Spanish -especially when it is colloquial-, but quite redundant in English. Again, think of:

They say she is nice, ie. she is fat - Dicen que es simpática, o sea, ([creen] que) está gorda.

• So what you are saying, I think, is that "summing up" and "in other words" mean the same thing? So "in other words" or "that is to say" at the end of a long sentence literally means "summing up"? I think that's what this means, am I wrong? - jeezzle Sep 3, 2010
• Because, she is nice....... to summarize........ she is fat. She is nice........ in other words..... she is fat........ She is nice....... that is to say....... she is fat. - jeezzle Sep 3, 2010
• I think I get it, after a long sentence or paragraph it sums it up, by saying either " to sum up" or "in other words" or "that is to say" but in a short sentence, or crutch phrase, it's "that is to say" or "in other words" but can mean "to sum up" but - jeezzle Sep 3, 2010
• really it's all three things at once. Gracias. - jeezzle Sep 3, 2010
• Well... you have to use stretch your senses to see things from a different perspective. In a way, those expressions convey the same meaning... "MORE OR LESS" - lazarus1907 Sep 3, 2010
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Answer 5

Ok, just one more bit of confusion. Some sites, wordreference included, and also our friend Gekkosan, say that "o sea" means "in other words" or "that is to say". I have always thought of it that way. Only today, using "o sea que" have I encountered the idea "summing up" or "the final thought to say is" and I assumed it was because of the added "que" on the end. So in the middle of a sentence if I pause and say "o sea" can it mean "that is to say" or "in other words"? Or does "o sea" always means "to wrap it up" or "to sum up?" what is the que for then? It was just yesterday, when I heard "o sea que todo es gratis" in a TVshow. Now I had thought I had known what "o sea" meant and now I don't know for sure. Maybe it has two meanings , "in other words" or "that is to say" and also "wrapping up" or "the final thought is" but when do you add que or not, seems like que is never really needed, and when do you know when it means what? As a crutch word, as a pause word, does it still just mean, that is to say? I am confused still. Gracias.

Answer 6

Actually, your use of "So" to introduce sentences doesn't have the meaning of "This, therefore that ... ," or even "In summary, ..." (How can it be a summary if it's your first sentence?) It simply introduces the sentence. So I think it's more like "Pues, ..." or "A ver ..."

• Of course it doesn't. The only one that means in summary is "O sea que" , and "de modo que" means so unless in the middle, as is how I learned it originally. However, which sentence are you referring to? - jeezzle Sep 3, 2010

Answer 7

When you summarize you restate (whatever) in a more compact form (which is to say, you repeat your thought in/using other words [one supposes, more compactly]). Thus, 'to summarize' is a specific kind of rephrasing .