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Ha risposto che il preventivo arrivava quella sera.

Ha risposto che il preventivo arrivava quella sera.
He replied that the estimate was arriving that evening.
From Lesson 224:Changing time and place in past indirect speech·Italian

Questions & Answers about Ha risposto che il preventivo arrivava quella sera.

Why do we use quella sera here instead of stasera?
Because the reporting verb (Ha risposto) is in the past. If the person originally said, 'The estimate arrives tonight' (stasera), we have to shift the time reference when reporting it later. 'Tonight' becomes 'that evening' (quella sera).
Why is arrivava in the imperfetto tense?
In past indirect speech, an original statement in the present tense shifts to the imperfetto. The original speaker likely used the present tense for a near-future plan: 'Il preventivo arriva stasera'. When reported in the past, arriva shifts a step back in time to arrivava.
Could we use the past conditional (sarebbe arrivato) instead of the imperfetto here?
Yes! If the original speaker had used the future tense ('Il preventivo arriverà stasera'), we would use the past conditional to express the 'future in the past' and say sarebbe arrivato. Using the imperfetto here just tells us the speaker originally used the present tense for a scheduled event.
What exactly is a preventivo?
It means a 'quote' or 'estimate' for a job, repair, or service. It is a very common everyday noun in Italy used when you need to know how much a mechanic, plumber, or contractor will charge you before they start work.

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