Learn Italian: Come te la cavi? Ti abitui alla nuova vita? - How are you managing? Are you getting used to the new life?

When you use a reflexive pronoun like ti right next to a direct object pronoun like la, the ti changes its vowel and becomes te. This happens with all forms of the pronominal verb cavarsela: me la, te la, se la, ce la, and ve la.

What does the la stand for in te la cavi? Does it refer to a specific feminine noun?

In pronominal verbs like cavarsela, the la is a fixed part of the expression. It does not replace a specific feminine noun from a previous sentence like it normally would. You can think of it as vaguely meaning 'the situation' or 'it', so te la cavi essentially implies 'you manage it' or 'you navigate the situation'.

Why are the pronouns separated before the verb here, when they are attached in the dictionary form cavarsela?

In the infinitive or dictionary form (cavarsela), the pronouns si and la are glued to the end of the verb. However, when you conjugate the verb in an ordinary tense like the present, as in cavi, the pronouns must move to the front and stand as separate words.

Why do we need alla after Ti abitui?