Questions & Answers about Laura cerca una mansione che le permetta di lavorare da casa due giorni alla settimana.
Why is cerca used here? Does it mean looks for or is looking for?
It can mean both.
In Italian, the simple present often covers both:
- Laura cerca... = Laura looks for...
- Laura cerca... = Laura is looking for...
In natural English, this sentence would usually be translated as Laura is looking for a role...
If you wanted to stress the action as ongoing right now, Italian could also say:
- Laura sta cercando una mansione...
But cerca is completely normal and idiomatic here.
What does mansione mean exactly? Is it the same as lavoro?
Not exactly.
Mansione usually means role, duty, or job function. It focuses more on the type of work or responsibilities than on the job in a broad sense.
Compare:
- lavoro = work/job in general
- posto di lavoro = job position
- mansione = specific role/task set within a job
So in this sentence, una mansione suggests a role/position with certain working conditions, not just any job.
What is the function of che in this sentence?
Why is it permetta and not permette?
Because permetta is the present subjunctive of permettere, and the subjunctive is very common here.
The idea is that Laura is looking for a role that may/would allow her to work from home. The role is not identified yet; it is something desired, not something known to exist as a specific fact.
That is why Italian often uses the subjunctive after an indefinite or hypothetical thing being sought:
This suggests:
- she has not found it yet
- it is a desired characteristic
- it is not a definite, established reality
If you were talking about a specific job that definitely does allow it, the indicative would be more likely:
- Ha trovato una mansione che le permette di lavorare da casa. = She found a role that allows her to work from home.
So:
- permetta = hypothetical / sought / not yet certain
- permette = factual / known / specific
What does le mean here, and why isn’t it la?
Le means to her.
The verb permettere usually works like this:
So:
- che le permetta di lavorare literally means
- that allows to her to work more natural English:
- that allows her to work
Because la is a direct object pronoun meaning her, while le is an indirect object pronoun meaning to her.
With permettere, the person is treated as an indirect object:
- permettere a Laura di lavorare
- permetterle di lavorare
Why does le come before permetta?
Because in Italian, unstressed object pronouns like mi, ti, gli, le, ci, vi, li usually come before a conjugated verb.
So:
- le permetta = allows her
This is normal Italian word order.
Compare:
- Le scrivo = I write to her
- Le telefono = I call her
- Le permette di lavorare = It allows her to work
When the verb is an infinitive, pronouns can attach to the end:
- permetterle di lavorare
So these are related:
- che le permetta di lavorare
- permetterle di lavorare
Why is it di lavorare and not a lavorare?
Because permettere is followed by di + infinitive in this structure.
The pattern is:
So:
- permettere a Laura di lavorare
- permetterle di lavorare
This is just the standard construction of the verb.
Other examples:
- Mi permette di entrare. = It allows me to enter.
- Questo ti permette di risparmiare tempo. = This allows you to save time.
So di lavorare is required by the verb pattern.
Why does Italian say lavorare da casa? Why not a casa?
Da casa is the normal expression for from home, especially in the sense of remote work.
- lavorare da casa = to work from home
This is the idiomatic expression used when your home is the place you work from rather than the office.
A casa usually means at home, focusing more on location in a general way.
Compare:
- Sono a casa. = I am at home.
- Lavoro da casa. = I work from home.
If you say lavorare a casa, it can sound more like:
- working while at home
- doing work in the house
- working on something at home
But for remote work, da casa is the most natural choice.
What does due giorni alla settimana mean exactly?
Why is there an indefinite article in una mansione?
Because Laura is looking for some role, not a specific one already known to both speaker and listener.
Since the role is not identified yet, Italian uses the indefinite article, just like English does in a role.
This also fits with the subjunctive later:
- she is searching for a role
- one that would allow her to work from home
The whole sentence presents the job as something not yet found.
Could the sentence be rephrased in a simpler way?
Yes. A few natural alternatives are:
Laura cerca un lavoro che le permetta di lavorare da casa due giorni alla settimana.
- More general than mansione
Laura sta cercando una mansione che le permetta di lavorare da casa due giorni alla settimana.
- Emphasizes that the search is in progress
Laura cerca una mansione che le consenta di lavorare da casa due giorni alla settimana.
- consenta is similar to permetta, slightly more formal
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning ItalianMaster Italian — from Laura cerca una mansione che le permetta di lavorare da casa due giorni alla settimana to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions