Breakdown of O diretor explicou que, naquela altura, o arquivo já estava fechado.
estar
to be (temporary / location)
naquele
in that over there (m/sg), naquela (f/sg), naqueles (m/pl), naquelas (f/pl)
o diretor
the director
já
already
explicar
to explain
que
that (conjunction)
fechado
closed
o arquivo
the archive
a altura
the time (point in time) / the height
Questions & Answers about O diretor explicou que, naquela altura, o arquivo já estava fechado.
Why do we use naquela altura here instead of nesta altura?
This is the backshifting rule in action! If the director were speaking directly, he probably said that the archive was closed at 'this' time (nesta altura). When we report his words after a past tense verb (explicou), 'this' shifts to 'that' (naquela).
Why is the verb estava in the Imperfeito tense?
Because this is reported speech introduced by a past tense verb (explicou). The director's original direct speech likely used the present tense: the archive IS closed (está fechado). To report this in the past, the present tense está must shift back one step into the past, becoming the Imperfeito (estava).
Doesn't altura normally mean 'height'? Why does it mean 'time' in this sentence?
You are right that altura literally translates to 'height'. However, it is also one of the most common ways to refer to a specific point in time in Portuguese. The phrase naquela altura translates perfectly to 'at that time' or 'at that point'.
Why use estava fechado instead of foi fechado?
We use estar (estava) because it describes the temporary state or condition the archive was in. It was currently in a closed state. If we used the past tense of ser (foi fechado), it would change the meaning to the passive voice, describing the exact action of someone closing the archive, rather than its ongoing state.
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