In the adverbial and reduced-relative gerunds you saw earlier, the gerund borrows its subject from somewhere else in the sentence. The absolute gerund is different: it carries its own subject, set off at the front of the sentence, and frames the entire main clause with a circumstance of time, cause, or condition. Tendo terminado a tarefa, fui dormir — "Having finished the task, I went to sleep." The gerund clause is grammatically self-contained ("absolute," from Latin absolutus, "freed" from the rest of the sentence).
This is a B2 topic because it belongs mostly to writing and to careful, educated speech. It is the construction that makes a Brazilian essay, news report, or formal address sound polished. English has close parallels — "that being so," "having said that" — which makes the meaning accessible, even though English handles the details differently.
The two shapes: simple gerund and compound gerund
There are two forms, and the difference is one of timing relative to the main verb.
The simple gerund (sendo, estando, havendo) expresses a circumstance that is simultaneous with the main clause — something true while the main event happens:
Estando você aqui, podemos começar a reunião.
With you here, we can start the meeting.
Não havendo mais perguntas, encerro a sessão.
There being no further questions, I'll close the session.
The compound gerund (tendo + past participle) expresses a circumstance that happened before the main clause — anteriority. It is the gerund equivalent of "having done X":
Tendo terminado a tarefa, fui dormir tranquilo.
Having finished the task, I went to sleep peacefully.
Tendo dito isso, ele se levantou e saiu da sala.
Having said that, he stood up and left the room.
| Form | Timing | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple gerund (sendo, estando) | simultaneous | Sendo tarde, fomos embora. | It being late, we left. |
| Compound gerund (tendo + ptp.) | prior / completed | Tendo chegado cedo, esperamos. | Having arrived early, we waited. |
The subject of the absolute clause
What makes these clauses "absolute" is that the gerund's subject is explicitly stated and independent of the main clause. In Estando você aqui, the subject of estando is você (you), while the main clause has its own subject (nós, implied in podemos).
Estando os documentos prontos, podemos assinar o contrato hoje.
The documents being ready, we can sign the contract today.
Chegando o verão, a cidade enche de turistas.
When summer arrives, the city fills with tourists.
Notice in that last example, Chegando o verão, the subject o verão comes after the gerund — a common and elegant order in this construction. English would say "Come summer" or "When summer arrives."
When the gerund's subject is the same as the main clause, you usually drop it, and the clause reads more like the adverbial gerund — but the framing, sentence-initial position still gives it the absolute flavor:
Sabendo que o trânsito estaria ruim, saí mais cedo de casa.
Knowing the traffic would be bad, I left home earlier.
The fixed framing connectors
A handful of absolute gerunds have hardened into ready-made discourse connectors that you will hear and read constantly. These are worth memorizing as units.
| Connector | Meaning | Register |
|---|---|---|
| sendo assim | that being so / therefore | neutral to formal |
| tendo isso em vista | with that in mind | formal |
| tendo em conta que | taking into account that | formal |
| posto isso | that being settled | formal/written |
| dito isto / dito isso | that said | neutral |
By far the most useful is sendo assim, which is common even in everyday speech:
A loja já fechou. Sendo assim, vamos amanhã de manhã.
The store already closed. That being so, let's go tomorrow morning.
Tendo em conta que o prazo é amanhã, é melhor começarmos agora.
Taking into account that the deadline is tomorrow, we'd better start now.
Cause, time, condition: how to read the relationship
An absolute gerund does not announce which relationship it expresses — you infer it from context. The same form can read as causal, temporal, or conditional:
- Causal ("since / because"): Estando doente, ele não foi trabalhar. — "Being sick, he didn't go to work." (the illness causes the absence)
- Temporal ("when / once"): Chegando o ônibus, todos correram. — "When the bus arrived, everyone ran."
- Conditional ("if"): Continuando assim, vamos perder o prazo. — "If things keep going like this, we'll miss the deadline."
Estando doente, ele preferiu remarcar a viagem.
Being sick, he preferred to reschedule the trip.
Continuando essa chuva toda, o jogo vai ser cancelado.
If all this rain keeps up, the game will be cancelled.
English uses the same gerund-fronting trick for some of these ("Being sick, he stayed home"), which makes the causal reading feel natural; the conditional reading ("Continuing like this...") is where English more often switches to an explicit "if."
Register: this belongs to writing and careful speech
Absolute gerunds carry a distinctly (formal/literary) flavor. In relaxed conversation, a Brazilian is more likely to unpack them into a full clause with como, quando, já que, or se:
| Absolute gerund (formal/written) | Everyday clause (spoken) |
|---|---|
| Estando doente, ele não foi. | Como estava doente, ele não foi. |
| Tendo terminado, fui dormir. | Depois que terminei, fui dormir. |
| Chegando o verão, a cidade enche. | Quando chega o verão, a cidade enche. |
The exception, again, is sendo assim and dito isso, which are common across all registers including casual speech.
Common Mistakes
❌ Tendo terminada a tarefa, fui dormir.
Incorrect — in the compound gerund the participle is invariable; no agreement.
✅ Tendo terminado a tarefa, fui dormir.
Having finished the task, I went to sleep.
❌ Tendo dizido isso, ele saiu.
Incorrect — the past participle of dizer is dito, not dizido.
✅ Tendo dito isso, ele saiu.
Having said that, he left.
❌ Sendo assim, vou embora; esta decidido.
Incorrect — está (the verb 'is') needs its accent; esta means 'this'.
✅ Sendo assim, vou embora; está decidido.
That being so, I'm leaving; it's decided.
❌ Tendo finalizado, então fui para casa.
Awkward — don't pair the absolute gerund with então; the gerund already carries the link.
✅ Tendo finalizado, fui para casa.
Having finished, I went home.
❌ Estar você aqui, podemos começar.
Incorrect — an absolute clause needs the gerund estando, not the infinitive.
✅ Estando você aqui, podemos começar.
With you here, we can start.
Key Takeaways
- The absolute gerund carries its own subject and frames the main clause: Estando você aqui, podemos começar.
- The simple gerund (sendo, estando) is simultaneous; the compound gerund (tendo + participle) marks a prior, completed action.
- In the compound gerund the participle is invariable — tendo terminado, never tendo terminada.
- The same form can read as cause, time, or condition — infer it from context.
- It is a formal/literary construction; in casual speech, unpack it with como, quando, já que, or se — except for the everyday connector sendo assim.
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Start learning Portuguese→Related Topics
- The Gerund (Gerúndio) in BR PortugueseA2 — An overview of the Brazilian gerund — its five core uses, how to form it, and why it is one of the most audible markers of spoken BR Portuguese.
- Gerund as Reduced Relative ClauseB1 — Using the Brazilian gerund to modify a noun — vi uma menina chorando — as a compact stand-in for a full relative clause, and how it contrasts with the past participle.
- Adverbial Gerund (Simultaneous Action)A2 — How the Brazilian gerund expresses a second action happening at the same time as the main verb — saí correndo, entrou cantando — and why it beats a full 'while' clause.
- Absolute ConstructionsB2 — Detached participle and gerund phrases with their own subject — terminada a reunião, sendo assim, feito isso — used in formal and literary Portuguese.
- Causal Clauses (Porque, Já Que, Visto Que)A2 — How to express reason and cause in Portuguese with porque, já que, uma vez que, como, visto que, and pois — all in the indicative.
- Temporal ClausesB1 — Time clauses with quando, enquanto, assim que, depois que, antes que, até que and desde que — and the future subjunctive that English speakers never expect.