Breakdown of Ao abrirmos o túmulo, vemos a mesma pedra enterrada.
abrir
to open
ver
to see
o mesmo
the same (m) / a mesma / os mesmos / as mesmas
ao
upon / when (doing something)
Questions & Answers about Ao abrirmos o túmulo, vemos a mesma pedra enterrada.
Why use the conjugated word abrirmos instead of the normal infinitive abrir?
This is the Personal Infinitive! The structure ao + infinitive means upon doing something. Because the action in this sentence is done by us, we conjugate the infinitive to match nós, giving us ao abrirmos (upon our opening). If it were just upon opening generally, without specifying who, you would use the uninflected ao abrir.
Does ao abrirmos mean exactly the same thing as quando abrimos?
They mean essentially the same thing. Quando abrimos (when we open) uses a standard time clause, while ao abrirmos translates a bit closer to upon opening or at the moment of opening. This ao + infinitive structure is a very common and natural way to link two simultaneous actions in Portuguese.
Why does the adjective mesma come before the noun pedra here?
While most descriptive adjectives in Portuguese go after the noun, mesmo (or mesma) is an exception when it means the same. It goes directly before the noun, just like in English. If you put it after the noun, it changes meaning to itself, as in a pedra mesma (the stone itself).
Is enterrada a verb or an adjective in this sentence?