Question 1

Why do we use the trapassato prossimo (aveva avuto) instead of the passato prossimo (ha avuto) here?

Accepted Answer

This is an example of indirect speech in the past. The reporting verb, ha affermato (he stated), is in the past. When reporting what someone said in the past, the tenses shift backward. His original direct words were likely Non ho mai avuto una pistola (I have never had a gun) using the passato prossimo. To report this in the past, the passato prossimo shifts one step further back into the past to become the trapassato prossimo: aveva avuto (he had had).

Question 2

Why is mai placed right in the middle of aveva mai avuto?

Accepted Answer

In Italian compound tenses, common adverbs of time like mai (never), sempre (always), and già (already) are usually placed right between the auxiliary or helping verb (here, aveva) and the past participle (avuto).

Question 3

Why is there a non before the verb if mai already means never?

Accepted Answer

Italian requires a double negative when words like mai (never), nessuno (nobody), or niente (nothing) come after the verb. To make the sentence correctly mean never, you must place non before the verb.

Question 4

Why use ha affermato instead of the more common ha detto (he said)?

Accepted Answer

Affermare means to assert or to state. It is a stronger, more formal verb than dire (to say). This fits perfectly in a legal or police context where someone is officially denying a crime and stating their defense.

Ha negato il crimine e ha affermato che non aveva mai avuto una pistola.

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