en + Infinitive
En Plus Infinitive for Temporal Clauses
En plus an infinitive can introduce a temporal circumstance meaning when or on doing something.
How It Works
En arribar, vam telefonar means when we arrived, we called. The infinitive presents the event that supplies the time for the main action. In uncomplicated examples, the understood actor is shared with the main clause.
The construction can describe immediate sequencing or the occasion on which something happens; do not claim that it always means a long ongoing action. A comma normally follows an initial temporal phrase.
Keep its subject interpretation clear. If a different actor or a detailed tense distinction is needed, a finite quan clause is often easier to follow. This temporal en is not the governed preposition in pensar en, so the formal preposition-change rule for selected complements must not erase it.
Examples (3)
- En arribar, vam telefonar.
On arriving, we called.
- En obrir la porta, va veure la carta.
When she opened the door, she saw the letter.
- En sortir, apagueu els llums.
When leaving, turn off the lights.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Recognize an infinitive and its own complements before changing prepositions or moving clitics. Distinguish a factual temporal relationship before compressing or contrasting it.
Related Patterns
Words in This Pattern
Practice en + Infinitive in Bubblegum
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