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Mi guarda come se non mi conoscesse.

Mi guarda come se non mi conoscesse.
He looks at me as if he did not know me.
From Lesson 285:Hypothetical comparisons (come se)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Mi guarda come se non mi conoscesse.

Why is conoscesse in the imperfect subjunctive here?
After come se (as if), Italian always requires the subjunctive to show that a situation is hypothetical or contrary to reality. Because the main verb guarda is in the present tense, we use the imperfect subjunctive conoscesse to show that this imaginary 'not knowing' is happening at the same time as the looking.
What is the infinitive of conoscesse and how is this form made?
The infinitive is conoscere. To form the imperfect subjunctive for regular -ere verbs, you drop the -ere ending and add the specific imperfect subjunctive endings. For the lui or lei (he/she) form, the ending is -esse, giving us conoscesse.
Why is mi used twice in this sentence?
The pronoun mi means 'me'. The first mi receives the action of guarda (he looks at me). The second mi receives the action of conoscesse (he didn't know me). Since object pronouns usually go immediately before the specific verb they belong to, we need to state it twice in its two respective places.
Could I use a form of sapere instead of conoscere for the verb 'know' here?
No, you have to use conoscere here. In Italian, conoscere is used when you know or are familiar with a person, place, or thing. Sapere is used for knowing facts or knowing how to do something. Because the sentence is about knowing a person (me), conoscere is the only correct choice.

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