Question 1

Why do we use ebbe fatto here instead of the regular past perfect (aveva fatto)?

Accepted Answer

ebbe fatto is the Trapassato Remoto (Past Anterior). You must use this tense to describe an action that happened immediately before another action in the distant past (the Passato Remoto), but only after specific time expressions like dopo che (after), appena (as soon as), or quando (when). Because the main action of the sentence uses the Passato Remoto (vide), the earlier action triggered by dopo che requires ebbe fatto.

Question 2

What tense is vide and why is it used here?

Accepted Answer

vide is the Passato Remoto (Historical Past) of vedere (to see). It is used for completed, one-time actions in the distant past, making it very common in storytelling, historical accounts, and literature. Its presence in the main clause is what forces the dependent clause (dopo che...) into the Trapassato Remoto.

Question 3

Why isn't there a non in the second half of the sentence for "nobody saw her anymore"?

Accepted Answer

In Italian, when a negative word like nessuno (nobody) is placed before the verb as the subject, you drop the non. You only use the double negative if the negative word comes after the verb. If we flipped the word order here, it would become Non la vide più nessuno.

Question 4

Why is "cast the spell" translated using the verb fatto?

Accepted Answer

While English uses specific verbs like "cast" for magic, Italian generally relies on the versatile verb fare (to do / to make). The standard phrase for "to cast a spell" is simply fare un incantesimo (literally, "to make a spell").

Dopo che la strega ebbe fatto l'incantesimo, nessuno la vide più.

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