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Ci facciamo portare il risotto a casa dal ristorante.

Ci facciamo portare il risotto a casa dal ristorante.
We are having the risotto delivered home by the restaurant.
FromLesson 59inHardcore Italian

Questions & Answers about Ci facciamo portare il risotto a casa dal ristorante.

What does the pronoun ci mean in this sentence?

Here, ci is the reflexive/indirect object pronoun for noi (we), meaning the action is done to/for us: “we have it brought to us.” It’s part of the common pattern farsi + infinitive (“to have something done to/for oneself”). It does not mean “there” in this sentence.

Examples with other persons:

  • Mi faccio portare… (I have … brought to me)
  • Si fa portare… (He/She has … brought to him/her)
  • Vi fate portare… (You all have … brought to you)
Why is portare in the infinitive?

Because Italian uses the causative construction fare + infinitive to mean “to have/make/let someone do something.” So you get (ci) facciamo portare = “we have (someone) bring (to us).”

More examples:

  • Faccio riparare la macchina. (I have the car repaired.)
  • Mi faccio tagliare i capelli. (I have my hair cut.)
Is this a passive sentence?
Not grammatically. It’s the causative fare construction, not the passive with essere. It does include an agent introduced by da (“by”), which can feel “passive-like,” but the true passive would be something like: Il risotto è portato a casa dal ristorante (which sounds stiff in everyday speech). The causative is the natural choice here.
What does dal ristorante express?
It marks the agent/doer of the action, introduced by da (“by”). Dal ristorante = “by the restaurant (staff).” Using the place (ristorante) as a stand-in for its staff is normal in Italian.
Can I omit dal ristorante?

Yes. If it’s clear from context who’s delivering, you can just say:

  • Ci facciamo portare il risotto a casa. You add dal ristorante only when you want to specify who’s doing it.
Why dal and not da il?

It’s the required contraction: da + il = dal. Other forms include:

  • da + lo = dallo
  • da + la = dalla
  • da + i = dai
  • da + gli = dagli
  • da + le = dalle
Can I change the word order, especially for a casa?

Yes, Italian allows some flexibility. All of these are acceptable:

  • Ci facciamo portare il risotto a casa dal ristorante. (original)
  • Ci facciamo portare a casa il risotto dal ristorante. (also very natural)
  • Ci facciamo portare il risotto dal ristorante a casa. (fine; strings origin and destination)

Avoid unnatural splits like: Ci facciamo il risotto portare a casa (awkward).

How do I replace il risotto with a pronoun?

Use ce lo:

  • Ce lo facciamo portare a casa (dal ristorante).

Other objects:

  • la pizza → ce la: Ce la facciamo portare.
  • i ravioli → ce li: Ce li facciamo portare.
  • le lasagne → ce le: Ce le facciamo portare.
Why is it ce lo and not ci lo?
Because ci changes to ce when it comes immediately before lo, la, li, le, ne. So you get ce lo/ce la/ce li/ce le/ce ne.
How does this work in the past tense?

Use the reflexive auxiliary and agree the past participle with the subject:

  • Ci siamo fatti portare il risotto a casa (dal ristorante). (group with at least one male)
  • Ci siamo fatte portare il risotto a casa (dal ristorante). (all-female group)

With pronouns:

  • Ce lo siamo fatti/fatte portare a casa.

Note that portare stays in the infinitive after fatto/i/e.

Does ci facciamo portare suggest we’re forcing them?
No. Fare + infinitive is neutral and commonly means “to have/get something done.” Context would indicate coercion; on its own it simply describes arranging the service.
Can I use consegnare or recapitare, or say a domicilio?

Yes, all are natural:

  • Ci facciamo consegnare il risotto a domicilio.
  • Ce lo facciamo recapitare a casa.
  • Ce lo facciamo portare a domicilio (dal ristorante).
Why is it a casa (no article)? Can I say a casa mia/nostra/di Marco?

With “home,” Italian typically drops the article: a casa = “home.” Variants:

  • a casa mia/nostra/sua
  • a casa di Marco All mean “to [someone’s] house.”
Could ci here mean “there”?
No. In this sentence, ci is the reflexive/indirect object (“to us”). The locative ci (“there”) is different, as in Ci vado domani (“I’m going there tomorrow”). Location is already expressed by a casa here.
How do negation and pronouns line up?

Place non before the clitic cluster:

  • With a noun: Non ci facciamo portare il risotto a casa (dal ristorante).
  • With pronouns: Non ce lo facciamo portare a casa (dal ristorante).
What happens if I add a modal like volere (to want)?

Both placements are common:

Both mean the same thing.

What’s the difference between a casa and in casa?
  • a casa = to/at home (destination or general location): Ce lo facciamo portare a casa.
  • in casa = inside the house: Ce lo facciamo portare fin dentro casa (emphasizes “into the house”).
Does il risotto have to be definite? What if I mean “some risotto”?

For an indefinite quantity, use a partitive:

  • Ci facciamo portare del risotto a casa. If you replace it with a pronoun, you use ne:
  • Ce ne facciamo portare (un po’).
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