O pintor disse que a fenda era pequena, mas precisava de tempo para a arranjar.

It can mean either painter in the artistic sense or painter/decorator in the practical, building-maintenance sense.

In this sentence, because we are talking about a fenda and fixing it, o pintor most naturally sounds like the painter/decorator working on a building or wall, not an artist painting pictures.

Fenda is a feminine singular noun, so the article and adjective must agree with it:

• a fenda = the crack/split
• pequena = small

That is why you do not get o fenda or pequeno here.

This is basic gender and agreement in Portuguese:

• o livro pequeno
• a casa pequena
• a fenda pequena

Disse means said, and que introduces the content of what was said: that.

So:

• O pintor disse que...
• = The painter said that...

This is a very common structure in Portuguese, just like in English:

• Ela disse que vinha. = She said that she was coming.
• Ele disse que sabia. = He said that he knew.

You normally need que after disse when introducing a full clause.

This is a very common Portuguese pattern.

• disse = pretérito perfeito
  A completed action: he said it.

• era and precisava = pretérito imperfeito
  Background description or an ongoing state in the past: the crack was small, and he needed time.

So the sentence combines:

• a completed reporting action: he said
• with background information inside that report: it was small, he needed time

That is why disse fits with era and precisava.

Era gives a descriptive, ongoing idea in the past: the crack was small.

In this sentence, the speaker is describing the condition of the crack, not presenting being small as a single completed event. That is why era sounds natural.

Very roughly:

• era pequena = it was small / it used to be small / it was in a small state
• foi pequena = it was small on one specific completed occasion

With descriptions, era is usually the expected choice.

The subject is still o pintor.

Portuguese often leaves out subject pronouns or repeated subjects when they are clear from context. So after mas precisava de tempo..., we understand:

• mas o pintor precisava de tempo...
• or in English, but he needed time...

The sentence does not need to repeat o pintor, because the verb form and context already make it clear.

Because precisar normally takes the preposition de when it means to need.

So:

• precisar de tempo = to need time
• precisar de ajuda = to need help
• precisar de dinheiro = to need money

This is one of those verb patterns you simply learn with the preposition included.

Here para + infinitive expresses purpose: in order to / to.

So:

• precisava de tempo para a arranjar
• = he needed time to fix it

This structure is extremely common:

• Tenho dinheiro para comprar isso. = I have money to buy that.
• Preciso de tempo para pensar. = I need time to think.

That a is a direct object pronoun meaning it.

It refers back to a fenda, which is feminine singular. Because fenda is feminine, the pronoun is a:

• a fenda → a = it

So:

• para a arranjar
• literally: to fix it

This is not the article a meaning the. It is a pronoun replacing a fenda.

Yes. Para arranjá-la is also correct.

In European Portuguese, para a arranjar is very natural and common.
The version para arranjá-la is also possible, but it feels a bit different in rhythm and style.

Useful comparison:

• para a arranjar = very natural in European Portuguese
• para arranjá-la = also correct

Notice that in arranjá-la, the verb changes form because the pronoun is attached to the end:

• arranjar + a → arranjá-la

Here arranjar means to fix, repair, or sort out.

It is a very common and flexible verb in Portuguese. Depending on context, it can mean:

• fix/repair
• arrange
• sort out
• find/get hold of

In this sentence, because the object is a fenda, the meaning is clearly to repair/fix the crack.

For building or maintenance contexts, arranjar is often more everyday and general than a more specific verb like reparar.