Breakdown of Non glielo volevo dare, ma mi hanno costretto.
ma
but
non
not
avere
to have
volere
to want
dare
to give
mi
me (direct object)
glielo
it to him/her
costringere
to force
Questions & Answers about Non glielo volevo dare, ma mi hanno costretto.
Why use the imperfetto for volevo but the passato prossimo for hanno costretto?
This perfectly shows the difference between the two past tenses! The imperfetto (volevo) describes an ongoing state of mind in the past: your continuing desire not to do something. The passato prossimo (hanno costretto) describes the specific, completed event that interrupted your state of mind: they forced you.
What exactly is glielo made of in this sentence?
It is a combined double object pronoun. It combines the indirect object gli (to him) and the direct object lo (it). When gli combines with lo, the i changes to an e, making it glielo.
Could I attach glielo to the end of the sentence instead?
Yes! Because there is an infinitive (dare) paired with a modal verb (volevo), you have a choice. You can put the pronoun before the conjugated verb (non glielo volevo dare) or attach it to the end of the infinitive (non volevo darglielo). Both mean exactly the same thing.
What verb does the past participle costretto come from?
It is the irregular past participle of costringere, which means to force or to compel. Because it is a completed action in the past, it is paired with the helping verb avere to form the passato prossimo (hanno costretto).
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