Hello and welcome to English with Languissimo®, the podcast in English which will help you reach your goals so that you can lead a better life and career.
My name is Vanessa. I’m the founder and CEO of Languissimo®.
Today, I will cover the difference between “so” and “so that”.
- “So” means “donc”. It is used at the end of an explanation to express a consequence. For example, they were hungry so they bought something to eat (ils avaient faim donc ils ont acheté à manger).
“So” in that case is a synonym of “therefore”. It is used in the very well-known phrase from Descartes “I think therefore I am” (je pense donc je suis”).
- “So” means “tellement/tant/si”. He is so happy! (Il est si content !). I love her so. (Je l’aime tellement/tant). It is often used with “much/many” before a noun: I have so much work to do (j’ai tellement de travail à faire). I have so many things to do (j’ai tellement de choses à faire).
- “So” means “vraiment”. It is a synonym of “really” in that context: Do you think so? (tu le penses vraiment ?)
- “So” means “aussi”. It is a synonym of “also” in that context: I like chocolate. So do I (j’aime le chocolat. Moi aussi).
- “So” is used in some expressions such as: I think so (Je pense que oui). I told you so (je te l’avais bien dit).
- “So that” is a conjunction which means “pour que”, “afin que” or “de sorte que”. For example, I’m doing these podcasts so that you can improve your English. (Je fais ces podcasts pour que vous amélioriez votre anglais).
It’s important to note that in Northern America, the “that” disappears from oral speech so we now hear: I’m doing these podcasts so you can improve your English. (Je fais ces podcasts pour que vous amélioriez votre anglais).
Some Practice Questions
- Do you know the Latin translation of “I think therefore I am”?
- So…. what are you going to do now?
Ta da! That’s it for today! I hope you enjoyed this podcast. Subscribe to English with Languissimo®, practice, take care and talk to you soon! Big hugs 😊