Question 1

Why do we use tendo chegado here instead of just the simple gerund chegando?

Accepted Answer

Tendo chegado is the compound gerund (gerúndio composto). It is formed with the gerund of ter (tendo) plus the past participle of the main verb (chegado). We use it to clearly show that the action of reaching the end was completely finished before the action in the main clause (celebrating) began. If we used the simple gerund chegando, it would imply the actions were happening at the exact same time, like "While reaching the end, we celebrate".

Question 2

Why is it ao fim and not no fim after the verb chegado?

Accepted Answer

The verb chegar (to arrive or reach) requires the preposition a to indicate a destination, not em. Therefore, the preposition a combines with the masculine article o from o fim (the end) to create the contraction ao.

Question 3

Is graças a the only way to say "thanks to"? Could I use obrigados a?

Accepted Answer

You must use graças a when you mean "thanks to" in the sense of "because of" or when giving credit to someone for a positive outcome. Using obrigados a would mean that you are literally saying the words "thank you" to someone, rather than explaining the cause of your achievement.

Question 4

Why does the sentence use vocês? I thought European Portuguese avoided this pronoun.

Accepted Answer

While the singular pronoun você is often avoided or used carefully in European Portuguese due to its tricky formality levels, the plural vocês is completely standard and extremely common in Portugal. It is the default way to address a group of people directly as "you all".

Tendo chegado ao fim, celebramos esta conquista graças a vocês.

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