Breakdown of Se il ragazzo è responsabile, gli lasciamo usare la macchina.
essere
to be
il ragazzo
boy
la macchina
car
lasciare
to leave (an object)
usare
to use
se
if
responsabile
responsible
Questions & Answers about Se il ragazzo è responsabile, gli lasciamo usare la macchina.
Why do we use gli (to him) here instead of lo (him)?
This is a tricky rule for the lasciare + infinitive structure. Because the second verb (usare) has its own direct object (la macchina), the person receiving permission becomes the indirect object (gli). If the second verb didn't have a direct object, like in 'we let him sleep,' you would use the direct object pronoun lo (lo lasciamo dormire).
Why isn't there a preposition like a or di between lasciamo and usare?
When lasciare means 'to let' or 'to allow,' it is followed directly by an infinitive verb, without any preposition in between. It behaves a lot like modal verbs such as potere or volere.
In English we say 'let him use', putting 'him' in the middle. Can I say lasciamo lui usare?
Why does the Italian sentence use the present tense for the 'if' clause (se il ragazzo è) instead of the future tense?
For real or highly probable situations, Italian often uses the present tense in both parts of a se (if) sentence, just like English does here. You could also use the future tense for both verbs, but using the present is perfectly natural for a general rule or immediate condition.
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