Letting Someone Do Something
To say you "let" or "allow" someone to do something in Italian, use the conjugated verb lasciare followed immediately by an infinitive.
| I let the teenager go out because he wants independence. | Lascio uscire l'adolescente perché vuole l'indipendenza. |
| We do not let the rebellious son go out after the punishment. | Non lasciamo uscire il figlio ribelle dopo la punizione. |
Using Pronouns with "Lasciare"
When you replace the person you are allowing to do something with a pronoun, it generally goes right before the conjugated form of lasciare.
If the infinitive verb does not take a direct object (like uscire or viaggiare), use a direct object pronoun (lo, la, li, le).
| I have a lot of trust in her, therefore I let her go out tonight. | Ho molta fiducia in lei, perciò la lascio uscire stasera. |
| To find his independence, I let him travel by himself. | Per trovare la sua indipendenza, lo lascio viaggiare da solo. |
When the Infinitive Takes an Object
If the action being permitted involves a direct object (like using the car or buying a phone), the person receiving permission acts as the indirect object. You must use an indirect object pronoun (like gli for him/them, or le for her).
| If the boy is responsible, we let him use the car. | Se il ragazzo è responsabile, gli lasciamo usare la macchina. |
| We don't even let her buy the new phone! | Non le lasciamo neanche comprare il telefono nuovo! |
Modal Verbs and "Lasciare"
When lasciare follows a modal verb (like dovere, potere, or volere), standard pronoun rules apply: place the pronoun before the modal verb, or attach it to the end of lasciare (dropping the final -e).
| Raising a teenager is difficult, but you must let him grow. | Educare un adolescente è difficile, ma devi lasciarlo crescere. |
Setting Boundaries
Raising a teenager also involves setting boundaries and keeping an open dialogue.
| You cannot forbid all the parties to keep control. | Non puoi proibire tutte le feste per mantenere il controllo. |
| The punishment doesn't work without dialogue with the teenagers. | La punizione non funziona senza il dialogo con i ragazzi. |
