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
Sign up to save your progress, practice exercises and unlock all grammar content.
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.
| Step | Rule |
|---|
| 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.
Get full access to grammar lessons, exercises, vocabulary and personalized review with a free Falando account.