Breakdown of Il mio asciugacapelli non funziona. Lo cambi, per favore.
non
not
mio
my
lo
him/it (direct object)
per favore
please (asking for something)
Questions & Answers about Il mio asciugacapelli non funziona. Lo cambi, per favore.
Why does lo come before the verb here instead of attaching to the end like in cambialo?
Because this sentence uses the formal imperative (giving a command to someone respectfully, like a hotel receptionist). With formal commands, object pronouns like lo must go before the verb. If you were talking to a friend using the informal command, the pronoun would attach to the end as one word: cambialo.
Wait, isn't cambi the informal tu form of the verb cambiare?
It looks like it, but here it is the formal command. For regular -are verbs like cambiare, the formal command (used with Lei) ends in -i. If you were giving this command informally to a friend, you would use the -a ending: cambia.
Is asciugacapelli plural because it ends in -i?
No, here it is singular! Asciugacapelli is a compound noun made from asciuga (dries) and capelli (hairs). Because the second part is already plural, the word itself doesn't change form in the plural. We know it is singular in this sentence because it uses the singular article il and the singular verb funziona.
What exactly does lo refer to in the second sentence?