diff --git a/packages/svelte/src/compiler/phases/1-parse/js.js b/packages/svelte/src/compiler/phases/1-parse/js.js
index 89864328b7..2e34814dd0 100644
--- a/packages/svelte/src/compiler/phases/1-parse/js.js
+++ b/packages/svelte/src/compiler/phases/1-parse/js.js
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 /** @import { Parser } from './index.js' */
 import * as teasel from '@teasel/parser';
 import * as e from '../../errors.js';
+import { find_matching_bracket } from './utils/bracket.js';
 
 /**
  * A standalone module, as `analyze_module` reads one.
@@ -63,88 +64,113 @@ export function parse_script(parser, start, end) {
 }
 
 /**
+ * Reads JavaScript at the cursor with the template's parser and moves the cursor past it.
+ * @template {{ end: number, comments?: teasel.Comment[], typescript?: teasel.Kept[] }} T
  * @param {Parser} parser
- * @param {number} index
- * @param {'as'} [until] the host's `as` follows the expression, as an each block's item does
- * @returns {{ node: Expression, end: number }}
+ * @param {(js: teasel.Source) => T} run
+ * @returns {T}
  */
-export function parse_expression_at(parser, index, until) {
+function read(parser, run) {
 	let answer;
 	try {
-		answer = parser.js.parseExpressionAt(index, until);
+		answer = run(parser.js);
 	} catch (err) {
+		// the parser's syntax errors; a compile error thrown while reading is the host's own
+		if (!(err instanceof SyntaxError)) throw err;
 		return handle_parse_error(err);
 	}
 
-	return accept(parser, answer, answer.node);
+	add_comments(
+		parser.template,
+		parser.root.comments,
+		/** @type {teasel.Comment[]} */ (answer.comments)
+	);
+	unsupported(answer.typescript);
+	parser.index = answer.end;
+
+	return answer;
 }
 
 /**
  * @param {Parser} parser
- * @param {number} index
- * @returns {{ node: Pattern, end: number }}
+ * @param {'as'} [until] the host's `as` follows the expression, as an each block's item does
+ * @param {string} [opening_token] the bracket the expression sits in, for loose mode
+ * @returns {Expression}
  */
-export function parse_pattern_at(parser, index) {
-	let answer;
+export function read_expression(parser, until, opening_token = '{') {
+	const start = parser.index;
+
 	try {
-		answer = parser.js.parsePatternAt(index);
+		return read(parser, (js) => js.parseExpressionAt(start, until)).node;
 	} catch (err) {
-		return handle_parse_error(err);
-	}
+		if (parser.loose) {
+			// Find the next } and treat it as the end of the expression
+			const end = find_matching_bracket(parser.template, start, opening_token);
+			if (end !== undefined) {
+				parser.index = end;
+				// We don't know what the expression is and signal this by returning an empty identifier
+				return { type: 'Identifier', start, end, name: '' };
+			}
+		}
 
-	return accept(parser, answer, answer.node);
+		throw err;
+	}
 }
 
 /**
  * @param {Parser} parser
- * @param {number} index the opening paren
- * @returns {{ node: Pattern[], end: number }}
+ * @returns {Pattern}
  */
-export function parse_params_at(parser, index) {
-	let answer;
-	try {
-		answer = parser.js.parseParamsAt(index);
-	} catch (err) {
-		return handle_parse_error(err);
+export function read_pattern(parser) {
+	const start = parser.index;
+
+	const id = parser.read_identifier();
+
+	if (id.name !== '') {
+		const after = parser.index;
+		parser.allow_whitespace();
+
+		// a type annotation makes it a job for the parser
+		if (!parser.match(':')) {
+			parser.index = after;
+			return id;
+		}
+	} else {
+		const char = parser.template[start];
+
+		if (char !== '{' && char !== '[') {
+			e.expected_pattern(start);
+		}
 	}
 
-	return accept(parser, answer, answer.params);
+	return read(parser, (js) => js.parsePatternAt(start)).node;
 }
 
 /**
- * @param {Parser} parser
- * @param {number} index
- * @returns {{ node: Statement, end: number }}
+ * @param {Parser} parser at the opening paren
+ * @returns {Pattern[]}
  */
-export function parse_statement_at(parser, index) {
-	let answer;
-	try {
-		answer = parser.js.parseStatementAt(index);
-	} catch (err) {
-		if (/** @type {any} */ (err).code === 'unexpected_eof') e.unexpected_eof(parser.template.length);
-		return handle_parse_error(err);
-	}
-
-	return accept(parser, answer, answer.node);
+export function read_params(parser) {
+	const start = parser.index;
+	return read(parser, (js) => js.parseParamsAt(start)).params;
 }
 
 /**
- * Keeps an answer's comments, rejects what erasure could not express, and hands back the node
- * with the offset the parse stopped at.
- * @template T
  * @param {Parser} parser
- * @param {{ end: number, comments?: teasel.Comment[], typescript?: teasel.Kept[] }} answer
- * @param {T} node
- * @returns {{ node: T, end: number }}
+ * @returns {Statement}
  */
-function accept(parser, answer, node) {
-	add_comments(
-		parser.template,
-		parser.root.comments,
-		/** @type {teasel.Comment[]} */ (answer.comments)
-	);
-	unsupported(answer.typescript);
-	return { node, end: answer.end };
+export function read_statement(parser) {
+	const start = parser.index;
+
+	return read(parser, (js) => {
+		try {
+			return js.parseStatementAt(start);
+		} catch (err) {
+			if (/** @type {any} */ (err).code === 'unexpected_eof')
+				e.unexpected_eof(parser.template.length);
+			throw err;
+		}
+	}).node;
 }
 
 /** What erasure leaves in place needs a compiler, not this one */
diff --git a/packages/svelte/src/compiler/phases/1-parse/read/context.js b/packages/svelte/src/compiler/phases/1-parse/read/context.js
deleted file mode 100644
index 874b30c28e..0000000000
--- a/packages/svelte/src/compiler/phases/1-parse/read/context.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,36 +0,0 @@
-/** @import { Pattern } from 'estree' */
-/** @import { Parser } from '../index.js' */
-import { parse_pattern_at } from '../js.js';
-import * as e from '../../../errors.js';
-
-/**
- * @param {Parser} parser
- * @returns {Pattern}
- */
-export default function read_pattern(parser) {
-	const start = parser.index;
-
-	const id = parser.read_identifier();
-
-	if (id.name !== '') {
-		const after = parser.index;
-		parser.allow_whitespace();
-
-		// a type annotation makes it a job for the parser
-		if (!parser.match(':')) {
-			parser.index = after;
-			return id;
-		}
-	} else {
-		const char = parser.template[start];
-
-		if (char !== '{' && char !== '[') {
-			e.expected_pattern(start);
-		}
-	}
-
-	const { node, end } = parse_pattern_at(parser, start);
-	parser.index = end;
-
-	return node;
-}
diff --git a/packages/svelte/src/compiler/phases/1-parse/read/expression.js b/packages/svelte/src/compiler/phases/1-parse/read/expression.js
deleted file mode 100644
index e8f816a2b4..0000000000
--- a/packages/svelte/src/compiler/phases/1-parse/read/expression.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,52 +0,0 @@
-/** @import { Expression, Identifier } from 'estree' */
-/** @import { Parser } from '../index.js' */
-import { parse_expression_at } from '../js.js';
-import * as e from '../../../errors.js';
-import { find_matching_bracket } from '../utils/bracket.js';
-
-/**
- * @param {Parser} parser
- * @param {string} [opening_token]
- * @returns {Expression | undefined}
- */
-export function get_loose_identifier(parser, opening_token) {
-	// Find the next } and treat it as the end of the expression
-	const end = find_matching_bracket(parser.template, parser.index, opening_token ?? '{');
-	if (end) {
-		const start = parser.index;
-		parser.index = end;
-		// We don't know what the expression is and signal this by returning an empty identifier
-		return {
-			type: 'Identifier',
-			start,
-			end,
-			name: ''
-		};
-	}
-}
-
-/**
- * @param {Parser} parser
- * @param {string} [opening_token]
- * @param {boolean} [disallow_loose]
- * @param {'as'} [until] the host's `as` follows the expression, as an each block's item does
- * @returns {Expression}
- */
-export default function read_expression(parser, opening_token, disallow_loose, until) {
-	try {
-		const { node, end } = parse_expression_at(parser, parser.index, until);
-		parser.index = end;
-		return node;
-	} catch (err) {
-		// If we are in an each loop we need the error to be thrown in cases like
-		// `as { y = z }` so we still throw and handle the error there
-		if (parser.loose && !disallow_loose) {
-			const expression = get_loose_identifier(parser, opening_token);
-			if (expression) {
-				return expression;
-			}
-		}
-
-		throw err;
-	}
-}
diff --git a/packages/svelte/src/compiler/phases/1-parse/state/element.js b/packages/svelte/src/compiler/phases/1-parse/state/element.js
index 49a31e6f3c..0c3399a27e 100644
--- a/packages/svelte/src/compiler/phases/1-parse/state/element.js
+++ b/packages/svelte/src/compiler/phases/1-parse/state/element.js
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 /** @import { AST } from '#compiler' */
 /** @import { Parser } from '../index.js' */
 import { is_void, REGEX_VALID_TAG_NAME } from '../../../../utils.js';
-import read_expression from '../read/expression.js';
+import { read_expression } from '../js.js';
 import { read_script } from '../read/script.js';
 import read_style from '../read/style.js';
 import { decode_character_references } from '../utils/html.js';
@@ -11,7 +11,11 @@ import * as e from '../../../errors.js';
 import * as w from '../../../warnings.js';
 import { create_fragment } from '../utils/create.js';
 import { create_attribute, ExpressionMetadata, is_element_node } from '../../nodes.js';
-import { get_attribute_expression, is_expression_attribute, value_names } from '../../../utils/ast.js';
+import {
+	get_attribute_expression,
+	is_expression_attribute,
+	value_names
+} from '../../../utils/ast.js';
 import { closing_tag_omitted } from '../../../../html-tree-validation.js';
 import { list } from '../../../utils/string.js';
 import { locator } from '../../../state.js';
diff --git a/packages/svelte/src/compiler/phases/1-parse/state/tag.js b/packages/svelte/src/compiler/phases/1-parse/state/tag.js
index 1c556b744d..e514126639 100644
--- a/packages/svelte/src/compiler/phases/1-parse/state/tag.js
+++ b/packages/svelte/src/compiler/phases/1-parse/state/tag.js
@@ -3,9 +3,7 @@
 /** @import { Parser } from '../index.js' */
 import * as e from '../../../errors.js';
 import { ExpressionMetadata } from '../../nodes.js';
-import { parse_params_at, parse_statement_at } from '../js.js';
-import read_pattern from '../read/context.js';
-import read_expression from '../read/expression.js';
+import { read_expression, read_params, read_pattern, read_statement } from '../js.js';
 import { create_fragment } from '../utils/create.js';
 import { find_matching_bracket, match_bracket } from '../utils/bracket.js';
 
@@ -89,14 +87,12 @@ function read_declaration(parser) {
 
 	/** @type {import('estree').Statement | import('estree').VariableDeclaration} */
 	let declaration;
-	/** @type {number} */
-	let end;
 	try {
-		({ node: declaration, end } = parse_statement_at(parser, start));
+		declaration = read_statement(parser);
 	} catch (error) {
 		if (!parser.loose) throw error;
 
-		end = /** @type {number} */ (find_matching_bracket(parser.template, start, '{'));
+		const end = find_matching_bracket(parser.template, start, '{');
 		if (end === undefined) throw error;
 
 		parser.index = end;
@@ -126,6 +122,7 @@ function read_declaration(parser) {
 
 	if (declaration.type !== 'VariableDeclaration') {
 		if (declaration.type === 'ExpressionStatement') {
+			parser.index = start;
 			parser.root.comments.length = initial_comment_count; // Else they show up duplicated
 			return null;
 		} else {
@@ -142,7 +139,6 @@ function read_declaration(parser) {
 		e.declaration_tag_invalid_type(declaration);
 	}
 
-	parser.index = end;
 	parser.allow_whitespace();
 	parser.eat('}', true);
 
@@ -184,7 +180,7 @@ function open(parser) {
 		parser.require_whitespace();
 
 		// the list ends at the `as` that names the item, so a TypeScript assertion in it needs parens
-		let expression = read_expression(parser, undefined, false, 'as');
+		let expression = read_expression(parser, 'as');
 
 		parser.allow_whitespace();
 
@@ -224,7 +220,7 @@ function open(parser) {
 		if (parser.eat('(')) {
 			parser.allow_whitespace();
 
-			key = read_expression(parser, '(');
+			key = read_expression(parser, undefined, '(');
 			parser.allow_whitespace();
 			parser.eat(')', true);
 			parser.allow_whitespace();
@@ -410,16 +406,14 @@ function open(parser) {
 		/** @type {import('estree').Pattern[]} */
 		let parameters = [];
 
-		if (parser.eat('(', true, false)) {
-			const open = parser.index - 1;
-
-			if (find_matching_bracket(parser.template, parser.index, '(') === undefined) {
+		if (parser.match('(')) {
+			if (find_matching_bracket(parser.template, parser.index + 1, '(') === undefined) {
 				e.expected_token(parser.template.length, ')');
 			}
 
-			const { node, end } = parse_params_at(parser, open);
-			parameters = node;
-			parser.index = end;
+			parameters = read_params(parser);
+		} else if (!parser.loose) {
+			e.expected_token(parser.index, '(');
 		}
 
 		parser.allow_whitespace();