Breakdown of Il pittore non voleva i soldi, ma ha vinto il premio.
ma
but
non
not
i soldi
the money
avere
to have
volere
to want
il pittore
the painter
vincere
to win
il premio
the prize, award
Questions & Answers about Il pittore non voleva i soldi, ma ha vinto il premio.
Why use the imperfetto for voleva but the passato prossimo for ha vinto?
Voleva describes an ongoing state of mind in the past (not wanting the money), which requires the imperfetto. Ha vinto describes a single, completed event (winning the prize), which requires the passato prossimo. This contrast between an ongoing background state and a sudden action is very common!
Why is the word for money, soldi, plural here?
In Italian, the most common word for money is i soldi, which is always plural. Even though "money" is a singular concept in English, you must use plural articles like i when using soldi.
Vinto doesn't look like a regular past participle. What verb is it from?
It comes from vincere (to win). Because it is an "-ere" verb, a regular past participle would end in "-uto". However, vincere is irregular and becomes vinto, which you just have to memorize.
Why isn't there a word for "he" before ha vinto?
Italian usually drops subject pronouns like lui (he) when the subject is already clear. Since il pittore (the painter) is the subject of the first half, we automatically know he is the one who won the prize.
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