Breakdown of Íamos a atravessar a rua quando começou a chover.
a rua
the street
quando
when
começar
to begin
chover
to rain
atravessar
to cross
Questions & Answers about Íamos a atravessar a rua quando começou a chover.
Why does this sentence use íamos a atravessar instead of estávamos a atravessar?
Both structures translate to 'we were crossing', but using the imperfect of ir (íamos) instead of estar (estávamos) adds a distinct nuance of movement or progression. It implies being in the very act of doing something and is especially natural in European Portuguese to set the stage for an interruption.
Could I use the gerund (íamos atravessando) here?
While you will hear the gerund used for continuous actions in Brazilian Portuguese and some regional dialects in Portugal, standard European Portuguese strongly prefers the preposition a followed by the infinitive (a atravessar).
Why is there an a between começou and chover?
The verb começar (to begin or start) always requires the preposition a when it is followed by another verb in the infinitive. Many Portuguese verbs require a specific preposition to link to another verb, and começar a is a fixed pattern you must memorize.
Why is íamos in the Imperfect tense while começou is in the Preterite?
This sentence is a classic example of an interrupted action in the past. The Imperfect tense (íamos) sets the scene by describing the ongoing background action. The Preterite tense (começou) is used for the sudden, isolated event that happens while the background action is taking place.
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