La torta è pronta. Posso spegnere il forno? Sì, può spegnerlo, grazie.

Questions & Answers about La torta è pronta. Posso spegnere il forno? Sì, può spegnerlo, grazie.

How exactly is the word spegnerlo formed?
When you attach a direct object pronoun like lo (it) to an infinitive verb like spegnere (to turn off), you must drop the final -e of the verb. So, spegnere plus lo becomes the single word spegnerlo.
Could I put the pronoun lo somewhere else in the sentence?
Yes! When you have a modal verb like potere (can) followed by an infinitive, you have two choices. You can attach the pronoun to the end of the infinitive (può spegnerlo) or put it right before the conjugated modal verb (lo può spegnere). Both are perfectly correct and mean the exact same thing.
Why is the verb può used for "you can" instead of puoi?
The speaker is using the polite, formal "you" (Lei). Because the formal "you" borrows the same verb conjugations as he/she (lui/lei), it uses può. If this were a casual chat with a friend or family member, the person would reply with the informal puoi spegnerlo.
How do I know whether to use lo, la, li, or le at the end of the verb?
The pronoun has to match the gender and number of the noun it replaces. Here, "it" refers to il forno (the oven). Since forno is a masculine singular noun, we use lo. If you were asking to turn off a feminine singular noun like la televisione (the TV), you would use la to make spegnerla.

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