Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Quando me dirigi à sala esta manhã, tive a sensação de ter esquecido algo importante. - When I headed to the living room this morning, I had the feeling that I had forgotten something important.

“Me dirigi” is the first-person singular form of the verb “dirigir-se” in the simple past (pretérito perfeito), meaning “I headed” or “I made my way”. The reflexive pronoun “me” indicates that the action is directed at the subject of the sentence, which is a common way in Portuguese to express one's own movement or direction towards a place.

What is the significance of the contraction in “à sala”?

The phrase “à sala” is a contraction of the preposition “a” (meaning “to”) and the feminine definite article “a” (meaning “the”), combined to form “à”. This contraction is typical in Portuguese when the preposition “a” is immediately followed by a feminine noun, resulting in a streamlined and natural-sounding expression.

Why is the infinitive phrase “ter esquecido” used instead of a finite form like “esqueci”?

The construction “tive a sensação de ter esquecido” translates roughly to “I had the feeling of having forgotten”. The use of the infinitive “ter esquecido” (to have forgotten) suggests that the act of forgetting happened before the moment when the sensation was felt. This perfect infinitive construction helps to establish that the forgetting is a completed action relative to the feeling, emphasizing the sequence of events.

What tenses are used in “dirigi” and “tive”, and how do they function in conveying the timeline of events?

Both “dirigi” and “tive” are in the pretérito perfeito (simple past) tense. This tense is used to express actions that were completed in the past. In the sentence, “dirigi” indicates that the action of heading towards the room occurred earlier, while “tive” shows that the sensation was experienced subsequently or concurrently on that same morning. The clear use of the past tense in both verbs helps to establish a clear temporal sequence.

How does the overall sentence structure help convey the sequence of events?

The sentence is structured with an initial clause “Quando me dirigi à sala esta manhã”, which sets the time and action of moving toward the room, followed by the main clause “tive a sensação de ter esquecido algo importante”, which expresses the subsequent feeling of having forgotten something. The use of the perfect infinitive phrase “ter esquecido” further clarifies that the forgetting happened before the moment of experiencing the sensation. This structure effectively communicates a chronological order, making it clear that the realization of forgetting occurred during or immediately after the movement towards the room.