Breakdown of Non sapevo che ogni tassello del mio passato potesse riaffiorare così velocemente.
non
not
di
of, from
mio
my
così
so, like this
potere
can, to be able to
sapere
to know
ogni
every
velocemente
quickly
che
that (conjunction introducing a clause)
il passato
the past
il tassello
the piece (of a puzzle)
riaffiorare
to resurface
Questions & Answers about Non sapevo che ogni tassello del mio passato potesse riaffiorare così velocemente.
Why do we use the imperfect subjunctive potesse instead of the present subjunctive possa?
The phrase Non sapevo che (I didn't know that) is a negative declaration of knowledge, which triggers the subjunctive. Because the main verb (sapevo) is in a past tense, the rules of tense agreement require the subjunctive verb to also be in the past. We use the imperfect subjunctive potesse to show that this ability to resurface was true at the same time as the "not knowing."
If I change the sentence to "I don't know that..." (present tense), how does the Italian change?
If you change the main verb to the present tense (Non so che), the subordinate verb must shift to match the present timeframe. You would use the present subjunctive instead: Non so che ogni tassello del mio passato possa riaffiorare così velocemente.
What does the word tassello literally mean?
How does the prefix in riaffiorare affect its meaning?
The verb riaffiorare is formed by adding the prefix ri- (which means "again" or "back") to the verb affiorare (to emerge or to come to the surface). Together, it literally means "to resurface" or "to emerge again," which is the perfect verb to describe buried memories coming back into your conscious mind.
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