Phrase · 📖 Telling a story
Quando cheguei, todo mundo já tinha ido embora.
When I got there, everyone had already left.
B1telling a storyAudio · coming soon
Why every word is where it is
Quandoconjunctionwhencheguei1verbI arrivedchegar · past · 1st sing.,todo mundo2pronouneveryonejáadverbalreadytinha3verbhadter · imperfect · 3rd sing.ido3verbgoneir · participle · masc. · sing.embora4adverbaway.
- todo mundo → tinha: subject
- tinha → ido: periphrasis
- ido → embora: fixed phrase
Word for word: “When (I) arrived, all world already had gone away.”
Why it's built this way
The notes match the numbers above.
- 1cheguei: perfeito for the event that moves the story on. Pretérito perfeito: regular verbs →
- 2todo mundo = everyone, with a singular verb. No article: not todo o mundo in speech. tudo vs todo & indefinite pronouns I →
- 3tinha ido = had gone: it happened before cheguei. Past participles & the pluperfect (tinha feito) →
- 4ir embora = to leave, go away. No reflexive: never se ir.
Variations
- Quando eu cheguei, já tinha ido todo mundo embora.
- Quando cheguei, não tinha mais ninguém.
- Quando cheguei, o pessoal já tinha ido embora.