Breakdown of O historiador mencionou que o manuscrito já não estava naquele arquivo.
estar
to be (temporary / location)
naquele
in that over there (m/sg), naquela (f/sg), naqueles (m/pl), naquelas (f/pl)
que
that (conjunction)
já não
no longer
o historiador
the historian
mencionar
to mention
o manuscrito
the manuscript
o arquivo
the archive
Questions & Answers about O historiador mencionou que o manuscrito já não estava naquele arquivo.
The original quote was likely about this archive. Why does the reported sentence use naquele?
When shifting direct speech to reported speech in the past, demonstrative words have to shift to match the new speaker's perspective. If the historian originally said the manuscript was neste arquivo (in this archive), the person reporting it later changes neste to naquele (in that archive over there) because they are no longer in that same physical space.
Why is the imperfect past tense estava used here instead of the present tense está?
Because the reporting verb (mencionou) is in the past, the verbs inside the reported statement must also shift back in time. The historian's original words were likely in the present tense: o manuscrito já não está... (the manuscript is no longer...). To report this in the past, the present tense está shifts back one step into the past, becoming the imperfect past estava.
I know já usually means already. Why is it translated as no longer here?
While já on its own usually means already, the combination já não is a set phrase meaning no longer or not anymore. In this sentence, já não estava means the manuscript used to be in the archive, but at the time the historian checked, it was not there anymore.
What words make up the contraction naquele?
The word naquele is the mandatory contraction of the preposition em (in/on/at) and the demonstrative pronoun aquele (that one over there).
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