Learn Portuguese (Portugal): Tendo recebido o diploma, cada finalista sentiu um enorme orgulho. - Having received the diploma, each final-year student felt an enormous pride.

Tendo recebido o diploma, cada finalista sentiu um enorme orgulho.

Having received the diploma, each final-year student felt an enormous pride.

Breakdown of Tendo recebido o diploma, cada finalista sentiu um enorme orgulho.

ter

to have

a / an / some (all forms)

Questions & Answers about Tendo recebido o diploma, cada finalista sentiu um enorme orgulho.

Why do we use the compound gerund Tendo recebido here instead of a simple gerund?

The compound gerund (tendo + past participle) is used to show that an action was completely finished before the action in the main clause. By saying Tendo recebido, it emphasizes that the students first secured the diploma, and as a result of that completed action, they felt pride.

Does the past participle recebido change to agree with the subject cada finalista?

No. In the compound gerund structure, just like in the perfect tenses, the past participle following the auxiliary verb ter is invariable. It always ends in -o, regardless of whether the subject is masculine, feminine, singular, or plural.

Does the word finalista only refer to someone competing in a tournament final?

It can mean that, but in an academic context in Portugal, a finalista is a student in their final year of study (like a high school senior or a university student in their last year). It is the standard term used for graduating students, which makes sense here since they are receiving a diploma.

Why is the adjective placed before the noun in um enorme orgulho instead of after it?