Breakdown of Volevo mantenere il segreto, ma ho dovuto confessare.
ma
but
avere
to have
il segreto
the secret
volere
to want
Questions & Answers about Volevo mantenere il segreto, ma ho dovuto confessare.
Why do we use the imperfetto for volevo but the passato prossimo for ho dovuto?
This sentence perfectly shows the difference between the two past tenses with modal verbs! Volevo describes an ongoing state or intention in the background: you had the desire to keep the secret. Ho dovuto describes a specific, completed event: the moment you were forced to act, resulting in you actually confessing.
How would the meaning change if I said dovevo confessare instead?
Using the imperfetto dovevo would mean you were supposed to confess, or had an ongoing obligation to do so. It leaves it open whether you actually did it or not. Because this sentence uses the passato prossimo ho dovuto, it confirms that the action was completed: you had an obligation, and you fulfilled it by confessing.
Could I use the passato prossimo and say ho voluto mantenere instead of volevo mantenere?
It would sound unnatural here. Ho voluto implies a strong, completed decision that resulted in a successful action (meaning you firmly decided to keep the secret, and you successfully did). Since the second half of the sentence reveals you confessed, your desire to keep the secret was just an unfulfilled, ongoing wish. For unfulfilled or interrupted desires in the past, you should use the imperfetto.
Why is 'to keep' translated as mantenere rather than tenere?