Portuguese Phrase
Conta tudo o que aconteceu antes de começar.
Meaning
The speaker is asking the listener to narrate every event that took place prior to the moment of starting something. It conveys a request for a complete, chronological recount.
When to use
Use this phrase when you want a detailed back‑story before a meeting, a project kickoff, a story, or any situation where the listener needs to know what happened beforehand.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Contatudoo queaconteceuantesdecomeçar
Imperative (tu) - contar
‘Conta’ is the informal singular imperative of the verb ‘contar’ (to tell), used when speaking to someone you address as ‘tu’.
Pronoun ‘tudo’
‘tudo’ means ‘everything’; it functions as a direct object of ‘conta’.
Relative clause ‘o que’
‘o que’ introduces a relative clause meaning ‘that which’ or ‘what’. It links ‘tudo’ with the verb ‘aconteceu’.
Pretérito perfeito - acontecer
‘aconteceu’ is the simple past (pretérito perfeito) of ‘acontecer’, indicating a completed action in the past.
Preposition ‘antes de’ + infinitive
‘antes de’ means ‘before’, and it is followed by an infinitive verb (‘começar’) to express a prior moment.
Infinitive ‘começar’
‘começar’ is the infinitive form of ‘to start/begin’.
🗨In Conversation
Conta tudo o que aconteceu antes de começar.
Tell me everything that happened before we started.
Primeiro, chegamos atrasados, depois o equipamento falhou, e só então conseguimos iniciar a reunião.
First, we arrived late, then the equipment failed, and only then were we able to start the meeting.
✕Common Mistakes
Conte tudo o que aconteceu antes de começar.
‘Conta’ is informal (tu). For a polite request to ‘você’, use ‘Conte’.
Conta tudo o que acontecia antes de começar.
If you want to describe a series of ongoing past events, use the imperfect ‘acontecia’. ‘Aconteceu’ signals a single completed event.
Conta tudo o que aconteceu antes começar.
Do not omit the preposition ‘de’; ‘antes começar’ is ungrammatical.
↔Alternatives
Relate tudo o que aconteceu antes de iniciar.
Relate everything that happened before starting.
Descreva tudo o que ocorreu antes de começar.
Describe everything that occurred before starting.
Conte tudo o que se passou antes de começar.
Tell everything that went on before starting.
Cultural Tip
In Brazil, ‘conta’ is informal and is used with friends, family, or peers (the ‘tu’ form). In more formal contexts or when speaking to strangers, use the formal imperative ‘conte’. Also, Brazilians often prefer ‘antes de iniciar’ in business settings for a slightly more formal tone.