Learn Portuguese (Portugal): Na caixa foi que eu guardei o martelinho e a ferramenta. - It was in the box that I kept the little hammer and the tool.

Na caixa foi que eu guardei o martelinho e a ferramenta.

It was in the box that I kept the little hammer and the tool.

Breakdown of Na caixa foi que eu guardei o martelinho e a ferramenta.

Questions & Answers about Na caixa foi que eu guardei o martelinho e a ferramenta.

Why is it foi que instead of é que in this sentence?

The emphatic structure é que changes to foi que to match the past tense of the main verb. Because guardei is a past tense action, foi que is used to clearly express that it was in the box that you kept the items.

How does foi que change the emphasis compared to a normal sentence structure?

The phrase foi que highlights whatever comes immediately before it. If you just said Eu guardei o martelinho na caixa, it would be a simple statement of fact. By moving Na caixa to the front and adding foi que, you strongly emphasize that the items were kept in the box and not somewhere else.

Why use guardei instead of guardava here?

The verb guardei is a single, completed past action. If you used guardava, the ongoing past tense, it would change the meaning to say that you used to keep or habitually kept them in the box.

What is the base word for martelinho?

The base word is martelo, which means hammer. The -inho suffix is a diminutive, so martelinho specifically means a small or little hammer.