Breakdown of O martelo e os pregos estavam no chão depois da obra.
estar
to be
e
and
em
in
depois de
after
o chão
the floor
o martelo
the hammer
o prego
the nail
a obra
the work
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Questions & Answers about O martelo e os pregos estavam no chão depois da obra.
Why are there definite articles o and os before martelo and pregos? Is that always necessary in Portuguese?
Portuguese normally uses definite articles before nouns when referring to specific items or a known set of things. Here, o martelo and os pregos point to particular tools and nails (the ones in question). English often drops the article in that context (“hammer and nails”), but Portuguese retains it.
Why is the noun pregos plural?
Because there’s more than one nail. Portuguese marks number on the noun, so pregos (plural) indicates multiple nails rather than a single prêgo.
What does the verb form estavam mean?
Estavam is the imperfect tense (third person plural) of estar (“to be”). It describes an ongoing past condition or location: “they were on the floor.”
Why use the imperfect estavam instead of the preterite estiveram?
The imperfect (estavam) expresses a background state or something that was continuously true in the past (the hammer and nails remained on the floor). The preterite (estiveram) would imply a completed action or a punctual event, which doesn’t fit as well when you want to stress location over a period.
How do you know “on the floor” is no chão?
No is a contraction of em (“in/on”) + o (“the” masculine). Since chão is masculine, you combine them: em + o chão → no chão.
Could you say na chão instead?
No. Na is the contraction of em + a for feminine nouns. Chão is masculine, so the correct form is no chão.
Why is it depois da obra and not depois de a obra?
Prepositions like depois de contract with the definite article: depois de + a obra becomes depois da obra. You cannot separate them in standard European Portuguese.
Could I use após a obra instead of depois da obra?
Yes. Após a obra is more formal but perfectly acceptable and means “after the work.” Notice there is no contraction because após already includes the preposition; you simply say a obra.
What does obra mean here?
In European Portuguese, obra often refers to construction or renovation work, not an artistic piece. Here it means the building job or project after which the hammer and nails lay on the floor.