Brazilian Portuguese Grammar

Orações reduzidas de gerúndio

They are mostly used as an alternative to adverbial clauses, especially those denoting time, contrast, reason and condition, e.g:

Portuguese	English
Chegando lá, vou te telefonar.	Getting there, I'll call you.
Mesmo chorando, você não conseguiria me fazer desistir disso.	Even if you cried, you couldn't make me give it up.
Estando cansado, ele não foi à escola.	Since he was tired, he didn't go to school.
Tendo-o amado muito, ela foi feliz.	Since she loved him deeply, she was happy.
Mesmo tendo chorado, ela conseguiu rir das piadas.	Even though she had cried, she managed to laugh at the jokes we told.
Sendo necessário, conversarei com ele.	If it's necessary, I'll talk to him.
Tendo dormido, ele sonhou que estava no paraíso.	When he slept, he dreamed he was in heaven.