¡Ni que el alcance fuera enorme!

Not really. In ¡Ni que el alcance fuera enorme!, ni que works as part of a fixed exclamatory pattern, not as the normal ni meaning nor.

In this pattern, ni que + imperfect subjunctive expresses that the speaker rejects an idea as exaggerated, unreal, or not worth taking seriously.

Common English equivalents are:

• As if the range/scope were huge!
• It’s not as if the range/scope were huge!
• sometimes You’d think the range/scope was huge! depending on context

So here ni que is not simply joining two negative items. It is introducing an idea the speaker is dismissing.

Because Spanish uses the subjunctive after this kind of ni que expression.

The speaker is not presenting the idea as a fact. They are treating it as:

• hypothetical
• exaggerated
• contrary to reality
• something they reject

So:

• fuera = imperfect subjunctive
• era = imperfect indicative

Here, era would not fit the structure.
Ni que el alcance era enorme sounds wrong in this use.

Fuera is the imperfect subjunctive of ser.

In this sentence, it comes from ser, not ir, because it is followed by the adjective enorme:

• el alcance fuera enorme = the range/scope were huge

Yes, fuese is also possible:

• ¡Ni que el alcance fuese enorme!

Both are correct. In everyday speech, fuera is usually more common.

Alcance can mean different things depending on context, such as:

• range
• reach
• scope
• extent

So the exact English word depends on what was being talked about before.

For example:

• with technology or a signal, it may mean range
• with an action, effect, or project, it may mean scope or extent

The sentence itself does not tell you the exact meaning by itself; context does.

Because alcance is being treated as a specific, identifiable thing in the conversation.

So el alcance means something like:

• the range
• the scope
• the reach

It usually refers to a particular range or scope already understood from context.

Using the article is completely normal here.

Yes, in a way. It is an elliptical exclamation, which means part of the full idea is left unsaid because the context makes it clear.

Spanish very often does this in speech.

For example, the fuller underlying idea might be something like:

• No hace falta exagerar, ¡ni que el alcance fuera enorme!
• Te preocupas demasiado, ¡ni que el alcance fuera enorme!

But native speakers often just say the ni que... part on its own because the attitude is already clear.

So it is perfectly natural Spanish, especially in conversation.

It usually sounds:

• dismissive
• ironic
• impatient
• sarcastic
• slightly mocking

The speaker is basically saying that treating the matter as if the alcance were enormous is silly or exaggerated.

So the emotional force is important here. This is not a neutral statement.

They are similar, because both can relate to the idea of as if and both use the subjunctive.

But they are not used in exactly the same way.

Como si usually depends on another clause:

• Habla como si el alcance fuera enorme.
• He acts as if the range were huge.

By contrast, ¡Ni que el alcance fuera enorme! is often a direct reaction by itself. It usually means the speaker is rejecting an implied idea or someone’s exaggerated attitude.

So:

• como si = more descriptive
• ni que = more reactive, dismissive, and often exclamatory

Because this structure is very often used as an emotional reaction in speech.

The exclamation marks show that the sentence is being said with force, not as a calm factual remark.

In Spanish, both opening and closing exclamation marks are required:

• ¡ ... !

Without them, the sentence could still appear in writing, but the exclamation marks are the most natural choice for this kind of expression.

Yes. This is a productive and very common pattern.

Examples:

• ¡Ni que yo tuviera todo el día!
  = It’s not as if I had all day!

• ¡Ni que fuera gratis!
  = It’s not as if it were free!

• ¡Ni que supieran tanto!
  = It’s not as if they knew that much!

• ¡Ni que me importara!
  = As if I cared!

So the key pattern to remember is:

• ni que + imperfect subjunctive

It is especially common in informal spoken Spanish.