C1 · Fine points and style
The nominal style
« After leaving » has no form here, so the choice is a noun or a clause.
At a glance
- Remember
- A noun in place of a clause lifts the sentence into writing — and takes the doer out of it.
- Form
- após a sua partidaafter he had left
- Signal words
- após
- à
- aquando de
- em caso de
- apesar de
- -ção
- -mento
- Trap
- Wrong:Olha, à minha chegada ontem vi o teu irmão!Right:Olha, quando cheguei ontem vi o teu irmão!
Your turn
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The form
The forms and what they mean
Each row gives the meaning first, then the form in Portuguese.
| after he had left | após a sua partida |
| when I arrived | à minha chegada |
| as soon as it comes in | após a receção |
| at the signing | aquando da assinatura |
| if it is refused | em caso de recusa |
| although there is no evidence | apesar da ausência de provas |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
A preposition plus a noun replaces the clause.
No seu regresso, ligou.On his return, he called.
The nouns end mostly in -ção, -mento, -ura, -agem.
O encerramento da loja está previsto para junho.The shop is due to close in June.
The person acting disappears — deliberately, in official writing.
O aumento das tarifas surpreendeu.The rise in fares came as a surprise.
In speech: a clause, or a conjugated infinitive.
Depois de ele partir, tudo mudou.After he left, everything changed.
Example sentences
À leitura do relatório, mudou de ideias.On reading the report, he changed his mind.
Em caso de não pagamento, o contrato é rescindido.In case of non-payment the contract is terminated.
Apesar da recusa do banco, continuaram.Despite the bank's refusal, they carried on.
Desde a entrada em funcionamento surgiram problemas.Problems have arisen since it came into service.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
This style spoken aloud sounds like a document being read out. À minha chegada, vi que… is right in a letter and wrong on the telephone, where it is quando cheguei. Learning the form means also learning where to leave it out, and the -ing shortcut that would soften it in English is not available.
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
Após a sua partida, tudo mudou — « after his departure, everything changed ». A noun stands where a clause would, and the sentence becomes shorter and more formal. It works with almost any action: à minha chegada, após a receção, em caso de recusa.
English has a third option that Portuguese does not: the -ing form after a preposition. « After leaving », « on arriving », « in case of refusing » — a light construction, neither a noun nor a full clause, and the one an English speaker reaches for first.
There is nothing to reach for here. Após sair is not the way that sentence is built; the choice is between the noun — após a sua partida — and a clause — depois de ele partir. One is written and formal, the other is spoken, and there is no middle.
The nouns for it usually end in -ção, -mento, -ura or -agem: a receção, o pagamento, a leitura, a passagem. The price of the style is that the person acting disappears: o encerramento da fábrica names nobody who closes anything.
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The verbs on this page, in every form: mudar · ser · estar · partir · continuar · prever · ligar