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Anche digiunando spesso, Marco ingrassa comunque.

Anche digiunando spesso, Marco ingrassa comunque.
Even fasting often, Marco gains weight anyway.
From Lesson 331:Even if (anche + gerundio)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Anche digiunando spesso, Marco ingrassa comunque.

Why do we use the gerund digiunando here instead of a normal conjugated verb?
This is an "implicit concessive clause." Because the subject who is fasting and the subject gaining weight are the same person (Marco), we can shorten "Even though he fasts" to anche + the present gerund (digiunando). This is a very common, advanced alternative to using anche se with a regular verb.
Could I use this same anche + gerund structure if the subjects were different, like "Even if I fast, Marco gains weight"?
No. You can only use the implicit anche + gerund structure when the subject of both actions is exactly the same. If you are the one fasting but Marco is the one gaining weight, you must use an explicit clause: Anche se io digiuno, Marco ingrassa comunque.
How would you rewrite this exact sentence using a regular verb instead of the gerund?
You would use anche se (even if / even though) followed by the present indicative: Anche se digiuna spesso, Marco ingrassa comunque. Because his fasting is a stated fact rather than a hypothetical scenario, you use the indicative mood, not the subjunctive.
Since anche already sets up the contrast ("even"), isn't adding comunque ("anyway") redundant?
It might feel slightly repetitive in English, but it is highly typical in Italian. Placing comunque in the main clause acts as a reinforcement. It heavily emphasizes the unexpected result and the stubborn reality of the situation, pairing perfectly with the anche + gerund structure.
Is the verb ingrassare related to the Italian word for "fat"?
Yes! It is built directly from the adjective grasso (fat). By adding the prefix in- and the verb ending -are, Italian creates a verb that means "to become fat" or "to gain weight." You will see this same word-building pattern in other verbs, like ingrandire (to become big, from grande).

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