Absolute Participle Clauses
Put a participle first and its noun after it to mean once this was done: Rematada a reunión, marchamos (once the meeting was over, we left).
How It Works
How it is built
Participle + noun, then a comma and the main clause:
- Rematada a reunión, marchamos (once the meeting was over, we left).
- Feitos os deberes, os nenos saíron a xogar (with the homework done, the children went out to play).
Agreement. The participle behaves like an adjective and agrees with its noun, as in estar + participle: pechadas as portas, aprobado o orzamento. Irregular participles work the same way: Dito isto, despediuse (after saying this, she said goodbye).
Meaning. The event in the participle clause is finished before the main action. You can make this clearer with unha vez: Unha vez lida a carta, gardouna no caixón (once she had read the letter, she put it away in the drawer).
Register. This construction is common in writing, news and formal speech. In conversation, people often say Cando rematou a reunión, marchamos instead.
No attached pronouns. Unstressed pronouns are never attached to a participle.
Examples (6)
- Rematada a reunión, marchamos.
Once the meeting was over, we left.
Rematada is feminine singular because it agrees with a reunión.
- Feitos os deberes, os nenos saíron a xogar.
With their homework done, the children went out to play.
- Pechadas as portas, comezou o concerto.
Once the doors were closed, the concert began.
- Aprobado o orzamento, empezarán as obras.
Once the budget is approved, the works will begin.
The finished event can also be in the future.
- Dito isto, despediuse e marchou.
After saying this, she said goodbye and left.
Dito is the irregular participle of dicir.
- Unha vez lida a carta, gardouna no caixón.
Once she had read the letter, she put it away in the drawer.
Common Mistakes
Leaving the participle in the masculine singular form.
Rematado a reunión, marchamos.Rematada a reunión, marchamos.The participle agrees with its noun. A reunión is feminine, so use rematada.
Forgetting the plural agreement.
Feito os deberes, saíron a xogar.Feitos os deberes, saíron a xogar.Os deberes is masculine plural, so the participle must be feitos.
How It Connects
Learn This First
An absolute participle clause states a completed event before the main event.
Related Patterns
- Regular Past Participles
Shows how to form the participles used in this construction.
Level 2 - estar + ParticipleResulting States: Estar + Participle
Uses the same agreeing participle to describe a resulting state.
Level 3 - Gerund Clauses
Another opening clause; the gerund usually shows an action still in progress rather than a finished one.
Level 5 - ao + InfinitiveUpon Doing: Ao + Infinitive
A common everyday alternative for saying when something happened.
Level 4
Practice Absolute Participle Clauses in Bubblegum
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