Learn Italian: Vorrei un rimborso. Lo prepari subito, per favore. - I would like a refund. Prepare it immediately, please.

Vorrei un rimborso. Lo prepari subito, per favore.

I would like a refund. Prepare it immediately, please.

Breakdown of Vorrei un rimborso. Lo prepari subito, per favore.

a / an (masculine)

subito

immediately / right away

Questions & Answers about Vorrei un rimborso. Lo prepari subito, per favore.

Why does lo come before the verb here instead of attaching to the end of it?

Because prepari is a formal command (addressing someone as Lei). With the formal imperative, object pronouns like lo must be placed in front of the verb. If this were an informal tu command, the pronoun would attach to the end to make one word: preparalo.

Wait, doesn't the verb preparare end in -a for the third person? Why is it prepari?

You are thinking of the regular present tense! When giving a formal command, Italian verbs change their endings. For -are verbs like preparare, the formal command ending is -i. If you were speaking informally to a friend, you would use the regular tu command: prepara.

What exactly is lo replacing in this sentence?

It replaces the masculine singular noun un rimborso (a refund). In English, we just say "Prepare it", and lo is how you say "it" for a masculine direct object.

Why use vorrei instead of voglio?

Vorrei means "I would like," which is the conditional form of volere (to want). Using vorrei instead of the regular present tense voglio (I want) makes your request much more polite, which is highly recommended for formal situations like dealing with customer service.