Learn Italian: Comunque, non volevo divagare o aprire una lunga parentesi. - Anyway, I didn't want to digress or open a long parenthesis.

In this context, comunque acts as a discourse marker of resumption. While it often translates to "however," here it means "anyway," signaling that the speaker is cutting short a tangent and returning to the main point of the conversation.

Why use the imperfect volevo instead of the passato prossimo ho voluto?

The imperfect volevo describes the speaker's ongoing intention or state of mind ("I wasn't wanting to" or "I didn't mean to") during the conversation. Using the passato prossimo non ho voluto would sound like a specific, completed refusal, such as "I refused to digress."

Is aprire una parentesi a common conversational phrase in Italian?

Yes, it is a very common idiom. Just like in English, Italians use aprire una parentesi (to open a parenthesis) and chiudere una parentesi (to close a parenthesis) figuratively in speech to mark the beginning and end of a digression.

What is the literal feel of the verb divagare?

Divagare means to digress or go off-topic. It shares a root with the word vago (wandering or vague), which gives it the literal feeling of someone's thoughts wandering away from the designated path.