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Questions & Answers about Non è stato lui che ha sparato per primo.
Why use this complex structure (Non è stato lui che...) instead of just saying Non ha sparato lui per primo?
This is a cleft sentence (frase scissa), which is used to put heavy topical emphasis on a specific part of the sentence. In this case, it isolates lui (him). While Non ha sparato lui per primo simply means "He didn't shoot first," the cleft structure Non è stato lui che... translates exactly to "It wasn't him who..." to aggressively single out who did or didn't do the action.
Both verbs are in the passato prossimo (è stato and ha sparato). Do tenses always have to match in cleft sentences?
Not always, but it is the standard choice when both the emphasis and the action occurred in the past. You will sometimes see the present tense used for the verb essere even if the action is in the past (like Non è lui che ha sparato, meaning "He is not the one who shot"). However, making the tenses match (Non è stato lui...) is very common and natural for past events.
Why is the pronoun lui used here after the verb essere?
Why does the sentence use per primo instead of just the word primo?