Breakdown of Mi parla tanto, come se comprendesse ogni mia paura.
tanto
so much, a lot / as (in comparisons)
la paura
the fear
mio
my
parlare
to speak / to talk
se
if
mi
to me
ogni
every
come
as (in comparisons)
comprendere
to understand (to comprehend, include)
Questions & Answers about Mi parla tanto, come se comprendesse ogni mia paura.
Why do we use the imperfect subjunctive comprendesse here instead of a normal present or past tense?
The phrase come se (as if) introduces a hypothetical comparison. In Italian, come se is always followed by the subjunctive mood. Even though we are describing a situation happening right now, we use the imperfect subjunctive (comprendesse) to show that the understanding is just a hypothetical comparison, not an actual fact.
Why is there no definite article before the possessive in ogni mia paura?
The word ogni (every or each) is an exception to the usual possessive rules because it never takes a definite article like la or il. When you want to add a possessive adjective (like mia), it simply tucks in right between ogni and the singular noun.
Could this sentence also mean 'He speaks to me a lot, as if he understood my every fear'?
Absolutely! Italian often drops the subject pronoun. Without context, the subject of parla could be he, she, or it. Luckily, the imperfect subjunctive form comprendesse is exactly the same for all three (he, she, and it), so the grammar holds up perfectly either way.
Could I use the verb capire instead of comprendere in this sentence?
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