Breakdown of Il portiere vuole farsi sistemare la barba dal barbiere prima di uscire.
volere
to want
da
by
prima di uscire
before going out
il portiere
the porter
Questions & Answers about Il portiere vuole farsi sistemare la barba dal barbiere prima di uscire.
What is the basic grammar of vuole farsi sistemare la barba?
This is a very common Italian pattern:
volere + farsi + infinitive
Here, farsi sistemare means to have someone tidy/fix something for oneself.
So the structure is:
- vuole = he wants
- farsi = to have done for himself / to get done
- sistemare = tidy, fix, trim, put in order
- la barba = the beard
So grammatically, farsi sistemare la barba means to have his beard tidied.
This is called a causative structure: the subject is not doing the action personally, but is causing or arranging for someone else to do it.
Why is it farsi sistemare, not just sistemarsi la barba?
Because the meaning is different.
- sistemarsi la barba = to tidy one’s own beard
- farsi sistemare la barba = to have someone else tidy one’s beard
So farsi + infinitive shows that another person performs the action.
In this sentence, the barber is doing the work, not the goalkeeper/doorman himself.
Compare:
- Si sistema la barba. = He tidies his beard himself.
- Si fa sistemare la barba. = He has his beard tidied by someone else.
Why is the reflexive part and not ?