La fruttivendola mi ha detto che a quest’ora vende più mele che pere, mentre il fornaio ha già finito quasi tutto il pane.

Yes. Both are nouns for professions, and here they also show gender:

• la fruttivendola = the female greengrocer / fruit seller
• il fornaio = the male baker

In Italian, profession nouns often change form depending on gender:

• fruttivendolo = male seller
• fruttivendola = female seller

But some job titles do not change as much, or use different patterns depending on the word.

Also note that the article must match:

• la for feminine singular
• il for masculine singular

mi means to me.

So:

• ha detto = said
• mi ha detto = said to me / told me

Italian often uses an indirect object pronoun where English uses to + person:

• mi = to me
• ti = to you
• gli / le = to him / to her
• ci = to us
• vi = to you all
• gli = to them

So La fruttivendola mi ha detto literally means The greengrocer to-me has said, but in natural English: The greengrocer told me.

ha detto is the passato prossimo, a very common past tense in Italian.

It is formed with:

• avere or essere in the present
• plus a past participle

Here:

• ha = has
• detto = said / told

So ha detto literally looks like has said, but in Italian it often corresponds to simple English past as well:

• mi ha detto = she told me / she has told me

Why not dice?

• dice is present tense: she says / is saying

Why not disse?

• disse is a historical/literary past (passato remoto) and is much less common in everyday spoken Italian in many contexts.

Here che means that and introduces a subordinate clause:

• mi ha detto che... = she told me that...

In English, that is often optional:

• She told me that...
• She told me...

In Italian, che is normally used in this structure.

So:

• La fruttivendola mi ha detto che... = The greengrocer told me that...

a quest’ora means at this time / at this hour / at this time of day.

It is made of:

• a = at
• quest’ora = this hour

The apostrophe appears because questa becomes quest’ before a vowel:

• questa ora → quest’ora

This is called elision.

A few useful comparisons:

• a quest’ora = at this time
• a quell’ora = at that time
• a che ora? = at what time?

Because the sentence reports what is generally true at that time of day, not necessarily a one-time completed action in the past.

• mi ha detto = past reporting verb
• vende = present tense inside the reported statement

So the idea is:

• She told me that at this time she sells more apples than pears

Italian often keeps the present in reported speech when the statement is still considered valid or relevant.

English can do something similar:

• She told me that at this time of day she sells more apples than pears

So this is not strange in Italian.

Yes. This is the standard comparison pattern:

• più ... che ... = more ... than ...

So:

• più mele che pere = more apples than pears

Examples:

• vendo più libri che riviste = I sell more books than magazines
• ho più tempo che soldi = I have more time than money

Be careful: in comparisons, Italian can use either di or che, depending on the structure.

Here che is used because you are comparing two nouns directly:

• mele
• pere

This is a very common learner question.

Use di often when comparing:

• two different people/things after an adjective or adverb
• quantities with numbers
• something against a clear noun/pronoun

Example:

• Luca è più alto di Marco = Luca is taller than Marco

Use che often when comparing:

• two qualities
• two verbs
• two nouns after the same verb
• two adverbs
• two phrases of the same kind

In your sentence:

• vende più mele che pere because it compares apples and pears as objects of the same verb vende

Other examples:

• È più intelligente che simpatico = He is more intelligent than nice
• Preferisco leggere che scrivere = I prefer reading to writing
• Ho più fame che sete = I’m more hungry than thirsty

This is a rule learners usually absorb over time through exposure.

mentre means while, whereas, or whereas, depending on context.

Here it connects two contrasting ideas:

• the greengrocer sells more apples than pears at this time
• the baker has already finished almost all the bread

So mentre here is best understood as while / whereas.

It can show:

1. simultaneous time
   • Mentre studiavo, lui dormiva = While I was studying, he was sleeping
2. contrast
   • Lei lavora, mentre lui riposa = She works, whereas he rests

In your sentence, it has a strong contrastive feel.

già means already.

So:

• ha finito = has finished / finished
• ha già finito = has already finished

già usually goes before the past participle or after the auxiliary, as here:

• ha già finito

This is a very natural position.

Examples:

• Ho già mangiato = I’ve already eaten
• Hai già visto questo film? = Have you already seen this movie?

Because finire and vendere express slightly different ideas.

• vendere = to sell
• finire = to finish / use up / run out of something, depending on context

In this sentence:

• ha già finito quasi tutto il pane

This suggests that almost all the bread is gone from his stock. In context, that usually means he has sold almost all of it, but Italian expresses it as finished / run out of rather than repeating sold.

So English might translate it naturally as:

• the baker has already sold almost all the bread or
• the baker has already run out of almost all his bread stock

But the literal structure is closer to has already finished almost all the bread.

It means almost all the bread.

Breakdown:

• quasi = almost
• tutto = all
• il pane = the bread

Together:

• quasi tutto il pane = almost all the bread

Italian often uses:

• tutto il + noun = all the + noun
• tutta la + noun = all the + noun
• tutti i + plural noun = all the + plural noun
• tutte le + plural noun = all the + plural noun

Examples:

• tutto il giorno = all day
• tutta la città = the whole city
• tutti i libri = all the books
• tutte le mele = all the apples

Italian uses the definite article more often than English.

So il pane here does not necessarily mean one specific loaf in the narrow English sense. It can refer more generally to the bread the baker has available.

That is why:

• quasi tutto il pane

is very natural Italian, even if English might simply say:

• almost all the bread or even
• almost all his bread

Italian articles often appear where English uses no article or a possessive instead.

Because after più, Italian often leaves plural nouns without articles when speaking in a general quantitative way.

So:

• vende più mele che pere = she sells more apples than pears

This sounds general and natural.

If you added articles, the meaning could become more specific or less natural in this context.

Compare:

• più mele che pere = more apples than pears
• le mele / le pere = the apples / the pears

Here the article is omitted because the sentence is about category/quantity, not specific identified apples and pears.

Usually a quest’ora means at this time or at this time of day.

If you want by this time, Italian more often uses:

• a quest’ora in some contexts, but less directly
• ormai
• a quest’ora ormai
• per quest’ora
• entro quest’ora, depending on the exact meaning

In your sentence, a quest’ora vende più mele che pere clearly means:

• at this time (of day), she sells more apples than pears

So here it is about a usual moment in the day, not a deadline.

Yes, very normal.

Structure:

• La fruttivendola = subject
• mi ha detto = verb + indirect object pronoun
• che a quest’ora vende più mele che pere = subordinate clause
• mentre il fornaio ha già finito quasi tutto il pane = contrasting clause

Italian word order is often similar to English in straightforward statements, but pronouns like mi come before the conjugated verb:

• mi ha detto not
• ha detto mi

So overall, this sentence is natural and standard.

Yes, that is grammatically possible.

Both are understandable:

• che a quest’ora vende più mele che pere
• che vende più mele che pere a quest’ora

But placing a quest’ora earlier often sounds slightly more natural because it sets the time frame immediately:

• at this time, she sells...

Italian often moves time expressions earlier for emphasis or clarity. So the original version is very natural and stylistically smooth.