Question 1

Why do we use había cerrado instead of just the preterite cerró?

Accepted Answer

We use the past perfect (había cerrado) to show that this action was fully completed before another action in the past (no abordamos). It clearly establishes the timeline: first the gate had closed, and then as a result, we didn't board.

Question 2

Why is there a se before había cerrado?

Accepted Answer

If you just say había cerrado, it implies the gate closed something else. Adding se makes it a reflexive construction that focuses on the gate undergoing the action itself (it got closed or closed itself). This works similarly to the passive voice in English.

Question 3

Is abordamos present tense or past tense here?

Accepted Answer

It is past tense (preterite). For regular -ar verbs like abordar, the nosotros form is exactly the same in both the present and the preterite tense. We rely on the context of the sentence (the gate having already closed) to know this is a past event.

Question 4

How does por eso work in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

Por eso translates literally to 'for that', and it is the standard way to say 'that's why' or 'therefore' in Spanish. It perfectly connects the earlier cause (la puerta se había cerrado) to the later effect (no abordamos).

La puerta de embarque se había cerrado, por eso no abordamos.

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