Learn Hardcore Italian: Era difficile, ma alla fine ce l’abbiamo fatta a risolvere il problema. - It was hard, but in the end we managed to solve the problem.

Farcela is a pronominal verb meaning to manage or to succeed. In the past tense for first-person plural it becomes ce l’abbiamo fatta (literally “we made it”), where ce = ci + e and l’ = la. Together they convey we managed or we succeeded.

Why is the past participle fatta feminine, even though problema is masculine?

In the idiom farcela, the pronoun l’ is always la (feminine singular), regardless of the gender of the actual object you’re referring to. The past participle must agree with that la, so you get fatta.

Why do we use the imperfect era difficile instead of è stato difficile?

The imperfect era difficile describes a general or ongoing situation in the past and sets the scene (“it was difficult” as background). È stato difficile (passato prossimo) would present it as a completed event or specific fact, not as context.

What does alla fine mean, and could I replace it with infine or finalmente?

Alla fine means in the end or ultimately, emphasizing that something happened after effort or delay. You can use infine (more formal, like “finally”) or finalmente (emphasizes relief or long-awaited outcome), but each carries a slightly different nuance.

Why is there an a before risolvere in ce l’abbiamo fatta a risolvere?

Both farcela and riuscire require the preposition a before another verb. The pattern is farcela a + infinitive = to manage to do something.

Could we say siamo riusciti a risolvere il problema instead?

Yes. Siamo riusciti a risolvere il problema is a more neutral way to express we managed to solve the problem. Farcela is more colloquial and often adds a sense of relief at overcoming a challenge.

What does the contraction l’ stand for in l’abbiamo?

L’ is the contracted form of the direct object pronoun la, used before a vowel. So l’abbiamo = la abbiamo (“we have it”).