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Hanno deciso di condannare l'imputato a dieci anni di carcere.

Hanno deciso di condannare l'imputato a dieci anni di carcere.
They decided to sentence the defendant to ten years in prison.
From Lesson 425:Impersonal passive with indirect objects·Italian

Questions & Answers about Hanno deciso di condannare l'imputato a dieci anni di carcere.

Why do we use di before condannare?
The verb decidere (to decide) requires the preposition di when it is followed by an infinitive verb. Here, it links deciso to condannare.
Why is the preposition a used before dieci anni?
In Italian, the verb condannare (to sentence or condemn) is followed by the preposition a to indicate the punishment. So, "to sentence someone to..." translates to condannare qualcuno a....
How could we express the first part of this sentence impersonally, tying into recent lessons?
This sentence uses the active Hanno deciso (They decided). To express this impersonally as "It was decided", you would use the impersonal si construction: Si è deciso di condannare l'imputato....
Is imputato the standard word for "defendant"?
Yes, in a criminal trial context, l'imputato is the specific legal term for the accused or the defendant. It comes from the verb imputare (to charge or attribute).
Why isn't there a subject pronoun at the beginning of the sentence?
In Italian, subject pronouns like loro (they) are usually dropped because the verb ending already tells us who is doing the action. Hanno is the third-person plural form of avere, so "they" is built right into the verb.

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