Breakdown of O acordo bilateral estava assinado aquando daquela cerimónia formal.
estar
to be (temporary / location)
daquele
of that over there (m/sg), daquela (f/sg), daqueles (m/pl), daquelas (f/pl)
assinar
to sign
o acordo
the agreement
a cerimónia
the ceremony
aquando de
at the time of
bilateral
bilateral
formal
formal
Questions & Answers about O acordo bilateral estava assinado aquando daquela cerimónia formal.
How does aquando de differ from just using durante or na altura de?
Does the de in aquando de always contract with the word that follows it?
Yes. Even though it is part of a compound preposition, the de behaves exactly like a standalone preposition. Here, it contracts with the demonstrative aquela (de + aquela = daquela). It also contracts with articles, such as aquando do evento (at the time of the event).
Why does the sentence use estava assinado instead of foi assinado?
Using the verb estar (estava) focuses on the resulting state of the document: the agreement was already in a signed condition by the time the ceremony occurred. If the sentence used ser (foi assinado), it would describe the action itself, meaning the actual signing took place during that specific ceremony.
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