No sooner ...

[Dany]

Hello everyone,

what does "no sooner had I arrived" mean? And why is there used "had I arrived" instead of "I had arrived"?

No sooner had I arrived than I realised what was going on.

Kind regards,
Dany

[RonBee]

"No sooner had I arrived than I realised what was going on" means that as soon as "you" got there "you" realized what was going on. (The "realizing" was virtually instantaneous.) "No sooner had I arrived" means "as soon as I got there" or "immediately after I got there".

[HCaulfield]

as to the had I arrived thing... it's just one of the many cases in which inversion takes place. It's like not only doi I not like it but also blah it's just one of those things...

[Dany]

Thanks for your explanations

Dany