Question 1

Why is the verb نمی‌داده است used here instead of the regular past continuous نمی‌داد?

Accepted Answer

This is the Evidential Past Continuous. It combines the negative continuous prefix نمی‌ with the present perfect form داده است. It shows that this was a habitual past action (he wouldn't let anyone in) that the speaker heard about from others or inferred, rather than witnessed directly.

Question 2

Why is the first verb داشت just in the simple past while the second verb is evidential?

Accepted Answer

The speaker is treating the fact that he was obsessed (وسواس داشت) as a known, established fact, but framing the specific habit of keeping people out of the basement (راه نمی‌داده است) as a reported rumor or hearsay stemming from that obsession. It is common to mix tenses this way in storytelling.

Question 3

The translation says "He was so obsessed", but how does وسواس داشت literally translate?

Accepted Answer

Literally, it means "he had obsession." The word وسواس refers to obsession, extreme meticulousness, or paranoia. Combined with آن‌قدر (that much / so much), the phrase آن‌قدر وسواس داشت translates literally to "he had so much obsession."

Question 4

Why does کسی take the direct object marker را in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

The compound verb راه دادن means "to let in" or "to admit" and takes a direct object. Even though کسی (anyone) is a general pronoun, it is the specific target of the verb being denied entry in this clause, so it requires را.

او آن‌قدر وسواس داشت که کسی را به زیرزمین راه نمی‌داده است.

Breakdown of او آن‌قدر وسواس داشت که کسی را به زیرزمین راه نمی‌داده است.

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