A 41 year old woman with a ruptured left pericalosal artery aneurysm and hematoma in the inter-hemispheric fissure and paramedian region of the left hemisphere presented with mutism which turned to aphasia characterized by absent spontaneous speech, lack of paraphasias, relative preservation of repetition and evident preservation of comprehension. This picture conforms to the so called "trans-cortical motor aphasia". The fact that lesions of the paramedian region of the dominant hemisphere, in and around the secondary motor area, can produce aphasia is unknowm to many neurologists and several such cases are probably misdiagnosed due to the transience of the major symptons and to confusion with non-specific dementia.