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Forms:
We use present participles in continuous tenses.
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We use past participles in perfect tenses (see present perfect simple and past perfect simple) and in passives.
In a formal style we can use present participles, perfect participles and past participles to abbreviate sentences expressing cause, e.g.:
 | Since I worked at home, I didn't need a car. (Como trabajaba en casa, no necesitaba coche.) |
| Working at home, I didn't need a car. (Trabajando en casa, no necesitaba coche.) |
| Feeling exhausted, my husband went to bed. (Como se sentía exhausto, mi marido se fue a la cama.) |
| Not liking the play, they left at the interval. (Como la obra no les gustaba, se fueron en el descanso.) |
| Having lived in Kenya, we knew how hot it could be. (Como habíamos vivido en Kenya, sabíamos el calor que podía hacer allí.) |
| Attacked from all sides, Mrs Porter resigned. (Atacada por todos lados, la Sra. Porter dimitió.) |
However, it is always possible to use the full sentences, e.g.:
| Since my husband felt exhausted, he went to bed. (Como se sentía exhausto, mi marido se fue a la cama.) |
| As they didn't like the play, they left at the interval. (Como la obra no les gustaba, se fueron en el descanso.) |
| Since we had lived in Kenya, we knew how hot it could be. (Como habíamos vivido en Kenya, sabíamos el calor que podía hacer allí.) |
| Because she was attacked from all sides, Mrs Porter resigned. (Como le atacaban por todos lados, la Sra. Porter dimitió.) |
We can also use the perfect participle to express one event after another, e.g.:
| Having finished our lunch, we went for a walk. (Después de comer salimos a pasear.) |
Again, it is possible to use the full sentence, e.g.:
| When we had finished our lunch, we went for a walk. (Después de haber comido, salimos a pasear.) |
We can also use present participles with on, while, before and after to make abbreviated sentences, e.g.:
| On entering the room, Chris immediately recognised the visitor. (Al entrar en la sala, Chris reconoció inmediatamente al visitante.) |
| While working as a nurse, she met her future husband. (Mientras trabajaba como enfermera, conoció a su futuro marido.) |
| Before signing a contract, you should always read the small print. (Antes de firmar un contrato, siempre deberías leer la letra pequeña.) |
| After becoming the manager, he decided to buy a bigger car. (Después de ser gerente, decidió comprarse un coche más grande.) |
Again, we can always express these with the longer versions, e.g.:
| When he entered the room, Chris immediately recognised the visitor. (Cuando entró en la sala, Chris reconoció inmediatamente al visitante.) |
| While she was working as a nurse, she met her future husband. (Mientras trabajaba como enfermera, conoció a su futuro marido.) |
| Before you sign a contract, you should always read the small print. (Antes de firmar un contrato, siempre deberías leer la letra pequeña.) |
| After he became the manager, he decided to buy a bigger car. (Después de ser gerente, decidió comprarse un coche más grande.) |
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