Question 1

Where exactly should affatto be placed in a compound tense like this one?

Accepted Answer

In compound tenses, affatto (meaning 'at all') is usually placed right between the auxiliary verb (avessero) and the past participle (capito). It follows the same placement rules as common adverbs like già, mai, and ancora.

Question 2

Could I use per niente instead of affatto here?

Accepted Answer

Yes, they mean the exact same thing! However, their placement is slightly different. While affatto tucks neatly between the auxiliary and the past participle, per niente often sounds better placed after the entire verb phrase, like this: ...come se non avessero capito per niente la controproposta.

Question 3

Why do we use the past perfect subjunctive (avessero capito) instead of a normal past tense?

Accepted Answer

The phrase come se (as if) always triggers the subjunctive because it sets up an unreal or hypothetical scenario. Since the main verb (si sono comportati) is in the past, we use the past perfect subjunctive (congiuntivo trapassato) to show that the supposed lack of understanding happened before or during that past behavior.

Question 4

Why does the first verb use sono instead of hanno?

Accepted Answer

The verb is comportarsi (to behave), which is a reflexive verb. In Italian, all reflexive verbs require the auxiliary essere in compound tenses. Because it uses essere, the past participle must also agree with the subject in gender and number, ending in -i for a masculine plural subject (comportati).

Si sono comportati come se non avessero affatto capito la controproposta.

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