Pronominal Verbs
Italian is full of pronominal verbs (verbi pronominali): base verbs with one or two small pronouns (clitics) glued to the end of the infinitive. These pronouns often alter the verb's meaning entirely to create a new, idiomatic verb.
In this lesson, we will focus on two common pronominal verbs: farcela and andarsene.
Farcela (To manage / To succeed)
Farcela is built from fare (to do/make) + ci + la. Together, they mean "to manage," "to succeed," or "to be able to handle it."
When conjugating, the pronouns separate and go before the verb. Because ci is followed by another pronoun (la), it changes its vowel to become ce.
| Subject | Pronouns | Verb (fare) |
|---|---|---|
| io | ce la | faccio |
| tu | ce la | fai |
| lui / lei | ce la | fa |
| noi | ce la | facciamo |
| voi | ce la | fate |
| loro | ce la | fanno |
A very common expression is non ce la faccio più ("I can't take it anymore").
| I can't take it anymore with these calls! | Non ce la faccio più con queste chiamate! |
To say you can't manage to do something, follow farcela with the preposition a (or ad before a vowel) and an infinitive.
| I can't manage to listen to another offer. | Non ce la faccio ad ascoltare un'altra offerta. |
| The salesman keeps explaining his offer. | Il venditore continua a spiegare la sua offerta. |
| I have to block the call, I can't take it anymore. | Devo bloccare la chiamata, non ce la faccio più. |
Andarsene (To leave / To go away)
Andarsene is formed from andare (to go) + the reflexive pronoun si + ne (from here/there). It translates to "to leave" or "to go away" (from a specific place).
The reflexive pronoun changes to match the subject (mi, ti, si, ci, vi, si). Because it sits directly next to ne, its vowel changes to an e:
| Subject | Reflexive + ne | Verb (andare) |
|---|---|---|
| io | me ne | vado |
| tu | te ne | vai |
| lui / lei | se ne | va |
| noi | ce ne | andiamo |
| voi | ve ne | andate |
| loro | se ne | vanno |
| If he insists, I am leaving immediately. | Se insiste, me ne vado subito. |
| The salesman finally goes away after ten minutes. | Il venditore finalmente se ne va dopo dieci minuti. |
At the Door
Sometimes the salespeople aren't on the phone; they are ringing your doorbell.
| They ring the doorbell but I can't manage to open the door. | Suonano il campanello ma non ce la faccio ad aprire la porta. |
If you need to tell someone to go away formally, you can use the formal imperative. The formal command for andare is vada, and its pronouns stay before the verb to form se ne vada (go away, sir/madam).
| Sir, go away and don't ring the doorbell! | Signore, se ne vada e non suoni il campanello! |