Learn Hardcore Italian: Ce la faccio a finire il libro prima di cena. - I can manage to finish the book before dinner.

Farcela (with ce la faccio in the first person) is an idiomatic pronominal verb meaning “to manage to do something.” It literally means I make it, but idiomatically it’s used as I can manage or I’m able to (finish the book).

Why are there ce and la before faccio? What function do they serve?

The verb farcela is built from fare plus two clitic pronouns, ce and la:

ce (from ci) reinforces the idea of “achieving” the action.
la is a fixed direct object pronoun in this idiom (it doesn’t change for gender/number and isn’t a literal reference to il libro).
These pronouns are mandatory: you cannot say just faccio to mean “I manage.”

Why is there an a before finire?

Verbs of ability like farcela—just like riuscire—take the preposition a when followed by an infinitive. The structure is:
farcela a + [infinito] = “to manage to [do something].”

Why does cena appear without an article in prima di cena?

In time expressions with meals, Italian normally omits the article:
prima di colazione, di pranzo, di cena.
You can say prima della cena, but that sounds more formal or overly specific.

Can I drop il libro and simply say Ce la faccio a finire prima di cena?

Yes—if the context makes clear what la refers to. The pronoun la already stands for the task/object you’re managing. Adding il libro is optional, used for clarity or emphasis.

Could I replace Ce la faccio a finire il libro prima di cena with Riesco a finire il libro prima di cena? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can. Riesco a finire il libro prima di cena is the neutral equivalent. The nuance is:

riuscire a
- infinitive = straightforward “to succeed/ be able.”
farcela is more colloquial and often suggests overcoming difficulty or pressure.