Breakdown of Ha risposto senza aver capito la domanda.
avere
to have
la domanda
question
capire
to understand
senza
without
Questions & Answers about Ha risposto senza aver capito la domanda.
Why do we use aver capito (past infinitive) here instead of just capire (present infinitive)?
We use the past infinitive (aver + past participle) to show that the not-understanding happened before the answering. While English speakers often say "without understanding" in this situation, Italian uses the past infinitive to keep the timeline of events perfectly clear.
Why is the word avere shortened to aver in this sentence?
In Italian, it is very common to drop the final -e of an infinitive verb when it is followed directly by another word, especially a past participle. This makes the sentence flow smoother and sound more natural. Senza avere capito is grammatically correct, but senza aver capito is what you will usually hear.
Could I use this same structure if the subjects were different, like "He answered without me understanding"?
No, you can only use senza + infinitive when the subject of both actions is the exact same person. Here, the person who answered is the same person who didn't understand. If the subjects are different, you must use a different structure: senza che followed by a conjugated verb in the subjunctive mood.