Si sono lasciati, anche se non litigavano mai.

Breakdown of Si sono lasciati, anche se non litigavano mai.

non
not
mai
ever / never
anche se
even though
litigare
to argue
lasciarsi
to break up

Questions & Answers about Si sono lasciati, anche se non litigavano mai.

How does si sono lasciati mean "they broke up"?
The verb lasciare means "to leave". By using the reciprocal pronoun si, it becomes lasciarsi, meaning "to leave each other". In English, we naturally translate this as "they broke up".
Why does this sentence use sono instead of hanno for the past tense?
Because it is a reciprocal verb (lasciarsi). In the past tense (passato prossimo), all verbs with reflexive or reciprocal pronouns (like si) must use essere as their helper verb. That is also why the ending changes to -i in lasciati to match the plural subject.
Why is breaking up in the passato prossimo (si sono lasciati) but arguing is in the imperfect tense (litigavano)?
Breaking up was a single, completed action in the past. Not arguing was an ongoing, habitual state during their relationship, so it requires the imperfect tense (l'imperfetto).
Why are both non and mai used together here?
Italian requires a double negative when the negative word comes after the verb. Because mai (never) is placed after litigavano, you must put non before the verb. It literally translates to "they didn't argue never."
Does anche se mean both "even if" and "even though"?
Yes! Anche usually means "also" or "even", and se means "if". Together as anche se, they are the standard way to say "even though" or "even if".

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