Learn Italian: Non vogliono più demolire questo grattacielo. - They no longer want to demolish this skyscraper.

Non vogliono più demolire questo grattacielo.

They no longer want to demolish this skyscraper.

Breakdown of Non vogliono più demolire questo grattacielo.

more / anymore (with 'non')

Questions & Answers about Non vogliono più demolire questo grattacielo.

Why is più placed right after vogliono instead of at the end of the sentence like in English?

In Italian, the phrase non ... più (not anymore / no longer) wraps around the conjugated verb. The non goes before it, and the più goes immediately after. It doesn't move to the end of the sentence like 'anymore' does in English.

Since there are two verbs here (vogliono and demolire), how do we know where to put più?

Vogliono (they want) is a modal verb, meaning it pairs directly with an infinitive (unconjugated) verb like demolire (to demolish). In these two-verb pairings, più sticks close to the conjugated verb. So, it goes right after vogliono, before the infinitive.

What is the literal translation of grattacielo?

It is a compound word that translates perfectly to English! It is made of gratta (scrapes, from the verb grattare) and cielo (sky). Because it refers to a single object, it takes the standard masculine singular adjective questo.

If we wanted to say they 'do not yet' want to demolish it, how would this sentence change?

You would simply replace più with ancora (yet). The sentence becomes: Non vogliono ancora demolire questo grattacielo. The sandwich structure around the conjugated verb remains exactly the same.