Breakdown of Fanno installare la luce all'elettricista.
la luce
the light
fare
to do / to make
a
to / at
installare
to install
l'elettricista
the electrician (m/f)
Questions & Answers about Fanno installare la luce all'elettricista.
Why is it all'elettricista (to the electrician) and not just l'elettricista?
This is the core rule of the fare + infinitive structure! If the second verb has a direct object (here, la luce), the person performing the action must become an indirect object. Because you can't have two direct objects, the electrician gets the preposition a (becoming all'elettricista). Think of it literally as: 'They make install the light to the electrician.'
Why does installare come directly after fanno? Can I say 'Fanno l'elettricista installare la luce'?
Wait, who is actually doing the installing here?
The electrician is doing the installing. The subject (an unstated 'they') is just causing the action to happen by hiring or asking the electrician. In this structure, the person introduced by a is the one who physically performs the infinitive verb.
As a quick refresher, how is the word all'elettricista formed?
It is the combination of the preposition a (which we need because of the causative rule above) and the definite article l' (the). We use l' because the noun elettricista starts with a vowel.
Learn Fanno installare la luce all'elettricista and more in Italian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free