Breakdown of Non mi sono accontentato di un prodotto qualsiasi; volevo l'eccellenza.
un
a / an (masculine)
non
not
di
of, from
volere
to want
il prodotto
the product
qualsiasi
any
accontentarsi
to settle
l'eccellenza
the excellence (f)
Questions & Answers about Non mi sono accontentato di un prodotto qualsiasi; volevo l'eccellenza.
Why is qualsiasi placed after prodotto here instead of before it?
When qualsiasi (or qualunque) is placed after the noun, it emphasizes indifference or mediocrity, often translating to "just any" or "an ordinary" in English. So un prodotto qualsiasi means "just any product." If placed before the noun (qualsiasi prodotto), it has a more neutral meaning like "any product" or "whichever product." Note that when it comes after the noun, you must use an indefinite article (un) before the noun.
Why do we use di after accontentato?
Why is the auxiliary verb sono instead of ho for accontentato?
Because accontentarsi is a reflexive verb, as shown by the pronoun mi. In the passato prossimo and all other compound tenses, reflexive verbs always take essere as their auxiliary verb. Because we use essere, the past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject, which is why it ends in -o here (assuming a male speaker).
Why is the second verb volevo in the imperfect tense rather than the passato prossimo?
The imperfect tense (l'imperfetto) is used here to describe an ongoing state of mind in the past. The speaker's desire for excellence (volevo) was a continuous feeling that formed the background reason for their specific, completed action of not settling (non mi sono accontentato).
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