Learn Hardcore Italian: Anche se nevica, il tram continua a passare vicino a casa mia ogni dieci minuti. - Even if it is snowing, the streetcar keeps passing near my house every ten minutes.

Anche se is a concessive conjunction meaning “even if” or “although.” It introduces a fact or possibility that doesn’t prevent the main clause from happening. By contrast, se is a simple conditional “if,” which sets up a condition (and often leaves the result dependent on that condition).

Why is nevica in the indicative mood and not the subjunctive?

After anche se we always use the indicative to state a real or hypothetical fact (in this case, “it’s snowing”). The subjunctive would only appear with concessive conjunctions like sebbene or nonostante, which are followed by congiuntivo:
– Sebbene nevichi, il tram continua…

Why do we say il tram instead of just tram?

In Italian, when talking about public transport in general, you normally use the definite article:
– il tram, la metropolitana, l’autobus.
It’s similar to saying “the tram” in English when you mean “trams in general.”

How does the structure continua a passare work?

This is the verb continuare + a + infinitive (continua a + passare). It means “to keep doing something” or “to continue to do something.” Here, it expresses that the tram “keeps passing by.”

Why is it vicino a casa mia and not vicino casa mia?

When vicino functions as a preposition meaning “near,” it must be followed by a before the noun: vicino a. If you turned vicino into an adjective (“nearby”), you’d adjust accordingly: la stazione vicina a casa mia.

Why do we say ogni dieci minuti with minuti in the plural?

With ogni plus a number greater than one, Italian uses the plural of the time unit:
– ogni due giorni, ogni cinque ore, ogni dieci minuti.
(If it were una ora, you’d say ogni ora because the number is one.)

Can I place the anche se clause at the end instead of at the beginning?

Yes. Italian word order is flexible. You can say:
– Il tram continua a passare vicino a casa mia ogni dieci minuti, anche se nevica.
Putting the concessive clause at the end shifts the emphasis slightly but keeps the meaning.

Could I use sebbene or nonostante instead of anche se here?

Yes, but you must switch to the subjunctive mood:
– Sebbene nevichi, il tram continua…
– Nonostante stia nevicando, il tram continua…
These are a bit more formal than anche se nevica (indicative).