diff --git a/src/index.ts b/src/index.ts
index a9c63da..1fa2502 100644
--- a/src/index.ts
+++ b/src/index.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import path, { posix } from 'node:path';
 import { type Options as FdirOptions, fdir } from 'fdir';
 import picomatch from 'picomatch';
-import { escapePath, isDynamicPattern } from './utils.ts';
+import { escapePath, getPartialMatcher, isDynamicPattern, splitPattern } from './utils.ts';
 
 export interface GlobOptions {
   absolute?: boolean;
@@ -54,20 +54,20 @@ function normalizePattern(
       properties.depthOffset = -(parentDirectoryMatch[0].length + 1) / 3;
     }
   } else if (!isIgnore && properties.depthOffset >= 0) {
-    const current = result.split('/');
-    properties.commonPath ??= current;
+    const parts = splitPattern(result);
+    properties.commonPath ??= parts;
 
     const newCommonPath = [];
 
-    for (let i = 0; i < Math.min(properties.commonPath.length, current.length); i++) {
-      const part = current[i];
+    for (let i = 0; i < Math.min(properties.commonPath.length, parts.length); i++) {
+      const part = parts[i];
 
-      if (part === '**' && !current[i + 1]) {
+      if (part === '**' && !parts[i + 1]) {
         newCommonPath.pop();
         break;
       }
 
-      if (part !== properties.commonPath[i] || isDynamicPattern(part) || i === current.length - 1) {
+      if (part !== properties.commonPath[i] || isDynamicPattern(part) || i === parts.length - 1) {
         break;
       }
 
@@ -110,44 +110,22 @@ function processPatterns(
     }
   }
 
-  const transformed: string[] = [];
   for (const pattern of patterns) {
     if (!pattern.startsWith('!') || pattern[1] === '(') {
       const newPattern = normalizePattern(pattern, expandDirectories, cwd, properties, false);
       matchPatterns.push(newPattern);
-      const split = newPattern.split('/');
-      if (split[split.length - 1] === '**') {
-        if (split[split.length - 2] !== '..') {
-          split[split.length - 2] = '**';
-          split.pop();
-        }
-        transformed.push(split.length ? split.join('/') : '*');
-      } else {
-        transformed.push(split.length > 1 ? split.slice(0, -1).join('/') : split.join('/'));
-      }
-
-      for (let i = split.length - 2; i > 0; i--) {
-        const part = split.slice(0, i);
-        if (part[part.length - 1] === '**') {
-          part.pop();
-          if (part.length > 1) {
-            part.pop();
-          }
-        }
-        transformed.push(part.join('/'));
-      }
     } else if (pattern[1] !== '!' || pattern[2] === '(') {
       const newPattern = normalizePattern(pattern.slice(1), expandDirectories, cwd, properties, true);
       ignorePatterns.push(newPattern);
     }
   }
 
-  return { match: matchPatterns, ignore: ignorePatterns, transformed };
+  return { match: matchPatterns, ignore: ignorePatterns };
 }
 
 // TODO: this is slow, find a better way to do this
 function getRelativePath(path: string, cwd: string, root: string) {
-  return posix.relative(cwd, `${root}/${path}`);
+  return posix.relative(cwd, `${root}/${path}`) || '.';
 }
 
 function processPath(path: string, cwd: string, root: string, isDirectory: boolean, absolute?: boolean) {
@@ -186,10 +164,9 @@ function crawl(options: GlobOptions, cwd: string, sync: boolean) {
     nocase: options.caseSensitiveMatch === false
   });
 
-  const exclude = picomatch('*(../)**', {
-    dot: true,
-    nocase: options.caseSensitiveMatch === false,
-    ignore: processed.transformed
+  const partialMatcher = getPartialMatcher(processed.match, {
+    dot: options.dot,
+    nocase: options.caseSensitiveMatch === false
   });
 
   if (process.env.TINYGLOBBY_DEBUG) {
@@ -215,7 +192,7 @@ function crawl(options: GlobOptions, cwd: string, sync: boolean) {
     exclude: options.debug
       ? (_, p) => {
           const relativePath = processPath(p, cwd, properties.root, true, true);
-          const skipped = ignore(relativePath) || exclude(relativePath);
+          const skipped = (relativePath !== '.' && !partialMatcher(relativePath)) || ignore(relativePath);
 
           if (!skipped) {
             console.log(`[tinyglobby ${new Date().toLocaleTimeString('es')}] crawling ${p}`);
@@ -225,7 +202,7 @@ function crawl(options: GlobOptions, cwd: string, sync: boolean) {
         }
       : (_, p) => {
           const relativePath = processPath(p, cwd, properties.root, true, true);
-          return ignore(relativePath) || exclude(relativePath);
+          return (relativePath !== '.' && !partialMatcher(relativePath)) || ignore(relativePath);
         },
     pathSeparator: '/',
     relativePaths: true,
diff --git a/src/utils.ts b/src/utils.ts
index 4e6b345..36297e8 100644
--- a/src/utils.ts
+++ b/src/utils.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,64 @@
-import picomatch from 'picomatch';
+import picomatch, { type Matcher } from 'picomatch';
+
+// #region PARTIAL MATCHER
+export interface PartialMatcherOptions {
+  dot?: boolean;
+  nocase?: boolean;
+}
+
+// the result of over 4 months of figuring stuff out and a LOT of help
+export function getPartialMatcher(patterns: string[], options?: PartialMatcherOptions): Matcher {
+  const regexes = patterns.map(pattern => splitPattern(pattern).map(part => picomatch.makeRe(part, options)));
+  return (input: string) => {
+    // no need to `splitPattern` as this is indeed not a pattern
+    const inputParts = input.split('/');
+    for (let i = 0; i < patterns.length; i++) {
+      const patternParts = splitPattern(patterns[i]);
+      const regex = regexes[i];
+      const minParts = Math.min(inputParts.length, patternParts.length);
+      let j = 0;
+      while (j < minParts) {
+        const part = patternParts[j];
+
+        // handling slashes in parts is very hard, not even fast-glob does it
+        // unlike fast-glob we should return true in this case
+        // for us, better to have a false positive than a false negative here
+        if (part.includes('/')) {
+          return true;
+        }
+
+        const match = regex[j].test(inputParts[j]);
+
+        if (!match) {
+          break;
+        }
+
+        // unlike popular belief, `**` doesn't return true in *all* cases
+        // some examples are when matching it to `.a` with dot: false or `..`
+        // so it needs to match to return early
+        if (part === '**' && match) {
+          return true;
+        }
+
+        j++;
+      }
+      if (j === inputParts.length) {
+        return true;
+      }
+    }
+
+    return false;
+  };
+}
+// #endregion
+
+// #region splitPattern
+// if a pattern has no slashes outside glob symbols, results.parts is []
+export function splitPattern(path: string): string[] {
+  const result = picomatch.scan(path, { parts: true });
+  return result.parts?.length ? result.parts : [path];
+}
+// #endregion
 
 // #region convertPathToPattern
 const ESCAPED_WIN32_BACKSLASHES = /\\(?![()[\]{}!+@])/g;
diff --git a/test/index.test.ts b/test/index.test.ts
index bbe30bd..5f9e5a4 100644
--- a/test/index.test.ts
+++ b/test/index.test.ts
@@ -307,6 +307,11 @@ test('matching files with specific naming pattern', async () => {
   assert.deepEqual(files.sort(), ['a/a.txt', 'a/b.txt', 'b/a.txt', 'b/b.txt']);
 });
 
+test('dynamic patterns that include slashes inside parts', async () => {
+  const files = await glob({ patterns: ['{.a/a,a}/a.txt'], cwd });
+  assert.deepEqual(files.sort(), ['.a/a/a.txt', 'a/a.txt']);
+});
+
 test('using extglob patterns', async () => {
   const files = await glob({ patterns: ['a/*(a|b).txt'], cwd });
   assert.deepEqual(files.sort(), ['a/a.txt', 'a/b.txt']);
diff --git a/test/utils/partial-matcher.test.ts b/test/utils/partial-matcher.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bd0357e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/utils/partial-matcher.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,123 @@
+import assert from 'node:assert/strict';
+import test, { describe } from 'node:test';
+import { getPartialMatcher } from '../../src/utils.ts';
+
+describe('getPartialMatcher', () => {
+  test('works with exact path', () => {
+    const matcher = getPartialMatcher(['test/utils/a']);
+    assert.ok(matcher('test/utils/a'));
+  });
+
+  test('works with partial path', () => {
+    const matcher = getPartialMatcher(['test/utils/a']);
+    assert.ok(matcher('test/utils'));
+  });
+
+  test("static pattern doesn't give false positives", () => {
+    const matcher = getPartialMatcher(['test/utils/a']);
+    assert.ok(!matcher('test/utils/b'));
+    assert.ok(!matcher('test/tests'));
+    assert.ok(!matcher('src'));
+  });
+
+  test('works with dynamic pattern', () => {
+    const matcher = getPartialMatcher(['test/util?/a']);
+    assert.ok(matcher('test/utils'));
+  });
+
+  test('works with brace expansion', () => {
+    const matcher = getPartialMatcher(['test/{utils,tests}/a']);
+    assert.ok(matcher('test/utils/a'));
+    assert.ok(matcher('test/tests/a'));
+    assert.ok(matcher('test/utils'));
+    assert.ok(matcher('test/tests'));
+
+    assert.ok(!matcher('test/other/a'));
+    assert.ok(!matcher('test/other'));
+  });
+
+  test('works with **', () => {
+    const matcher = getPartialMatcher(['test/utils/**']);
+    assert.ok(matcher('test'));
+    assert.ok(matcher('test/utils'));
+    assert.ok(matcher('test/utils/a'));
+    assert.ok(!matcher('test/tests/a'));
+  });
+
+  test("** doesn't match ..", () => {
+    const matcher = getPartialMatcher(['**']);
+    assert.ok(!matcher('..'));
+  });
+
+  test('for now treats parts with / as **', () => {
+    const matcher = getPartialMatcher(['test/{utils/a,b}']);
+    assert.ok(matcher('test'));
+    assert.ok(matcher('test/utils'));
+    assert.ok(matcher('test/utils/a'));
+
+    // only happens when treating it as **
+    assert.ok(matcher('test/notutils'));
+    assert.ok(matcher('test/notutils/a'));
+  });
+
+  test('works with weird parentheses combinations', () => {
+    const matcher = getPartialMatcher(['test/utils/(a)']);
+    assert.ok(matcher('test/utils/a'));
+    assert.ok(matcher('test/utils'));
+    assert.ok(!matcher('test/utils/c'));
+  });
+
+  test('dot: true', () => {
+    const matcher = getPartialMatcher(['test/utils/*/c'], { dot: true });
+    assert.ok(matcher('test/utils/a/c'));
+    assert.ok(matcher('test/utils/.a/c'));
+    assert.ok(matcher('test/utils'));
+  });
+
+  test('dot: false', () => {
+    const matcher = getPartialMatcher(['test/utils/*/c']);
+    assert.ok(matcher('test/utils/a/c'));
+    assert.ok(!matcher('test/utils/.a/c'));
+    assert.ok(matcher('test/utils'));
+  });
+
+  test('dot: false and **', () => {
+    const matcher = getPartialMatcher(['test/utils/**/c']);
+    assert.ok(matcher('test/utils/a/c'));
+    assert.ok(!matcher('test/utils/.a/c'));
+    assert.ok(matcher('test/utils'));
+  });
+
+  test('path initially matching pattern but more input than pattern parts', () => {
+    const matcher = getPartialMatcher(['test/utils/a']);
+    assert.ok(!matcher('test/utils/a/c'));
+  });
+
+  test('multiple patterns', () => {
+    const matcher = getPartialMatcher(['test/util?/a', 'test/utils/a/c']);
+    assert.ok(matcher('test/utils/a/c'));
+    assert.ok(matcher('test/utilg/a'));
+    assert.ok(matcher('test/utilg'));
+    assert.ok(!matcher('test/utilg/a/c'));
+  });
+
+  test('..', () => {
+    const matcher = getPartialMatcher(['../test/util?/a']);
+    assert.ok(matcher('..'));
+    assert.ok(matcher('../test/utilg/a'));
+    assert.ok(!matcher('a/test/utilg/a'));
+    assert.ok(!matcher('test/utilg/a'));
+  });
+
+  test('.. mixed with normal pattern', () => {
+    const matcher = getPartialMatcher(['../test/util?/a', 'src/utils/a']);
+    assert.ok(matcher('..'));
+    assert.ok(matcher('../test/utilg/a'));
+    assert.ok(!matcher('a/test/utilg/a'));
+    assert.ok(!matcher('test/utilg/a'));
+
+    assert.ok(matcher('src'));
+    assert.ok(matcher('src/utils'));
+    assert.ok(!matcher('src/gaming'));
+  });
+});