B2 (Upper Intermediate)Lesson 9: Advanced Verb and Clause Patterns
Reduced clauses express time, cause, condition, concession, purpose, or result without a fully finite subordinate clause.
Reduced clauses compress a full subordinate relation
Infinitive, gerund, and participle can all do this
They are common in formal and semi-formal discourse
preposition + infinitive / gerund clause / participle clause
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An infinitive clause can replace a full subordinate clause, especially after prepositions: "ao chegar", "para resolver".
Gerund clauses often express manner, time, cause, or background activity: "estudando assim, você melhora".
Participle clauses often present prior result or state: "terminada a reunião, fomos embora".
Reduced clauses compress information and are common in formal writing as well as some spoken styles.
A reduced clause still has a semantic relation to the main clause even when the connector is lighter.
The personal infinitive often appears inside reduced clauses when the subject needs to be explicit.
| Portuguese | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Ao chegar, me avisa. | When you arrive, let me know. |
| Para resolver isso, precisamos de tempo. | To solve that, we need time. |
| Estudando todo dia, você melhora. | By studying every day, you improve. |
| Terminada a reunião, fomos embora. | Once the meeting was finished, we left. |
| Mesmo sem saber tudo, ele respondeu. | Even without knowing everything, he answered. |
Not every subordinate clause can be reduced naturally in every context.
Gerund reduction is common, but style and clarity still matter.
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