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A mecânica era complicada, portanto eles tinham-na simplificado.

A mecânica era complicada, portanto eles tinham-na simplificado.
The mechanic was complicated, therefore they had simplified it.
From Lesson 412:Pronoun placement in compound tenses·Portuguese (Portugal)

Questions & Answers about A mecânica era complicada, portanto eles tinham-na simplificado.

Why is the pronoun written as tinham-na instead of tinham-a?
The pronoun here is a (meaning "it", referring back to a mecânica). Because the auxiliary verb tinham ends in a nasal sound (-m), the pronoun a transforms into na. This is a mandatory spelling change that makes the combination easier to pronounce.
Can I attach the pronoun to the main verb instead, like tinham simplificado-a?
No. In European Portuguese compound tenses formed with the auxiliary verb ter plus a past participle, object pronouns must always attach to the auxiliary verb. They can never attach to the past participle. Therefore, it must be tinham-na simplificado.
Since na refers to a mecânica (a feminine noun), why is the participle simplificado instead of simplificada?
When forming compound tenses with the auxiliary verb ter, the past participle is always invariable. It ends in -o (simplificado) regardless of the gender or number of the subject, and regardless of the gender of the direct object pronoun attached to the auxiliary.
Does the word portanto pull the pronoun to the front of the verb?
No, portanto (therefore) is a coordinating conjunction, so it doesn't trigger proclisis (pulling the pronoun before the verb). That is why the pronoun stays attached to the end of the auxiliary verb. If the sentence had used a subordinating conjunction like porque (because), the pronoun would move to the front: porque eles a tinham simplificado.
The translation says "The mechanic was complicated", but does a mecânica mean the person or the system?
While a mecânica can translate to a female mechanic, in this specific context it makes much more sense as "the mechanics" or the inner workings of a machine, game, or process. That is the complicated system they decided to simplify.

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