Learn Italian: Fa sempre i capricci; sto calmandolo adesso. - He always throws tantrums; I am calming him down now.

Fa sempre i capricci; sto calmandolo adesso.

He always throws tantrums; I am calming him down now.

Breakdown of Fa sempre i capricci; sto calmandolo adesso.

to stay, to feel, to be

adesso

now

Questions & Answers about Fa sempre i capricci; sto calmandolo adesso.

Can I put the pronoun lo before the verb, like lo sto calmando?

Yes, absolutely! With the progressive tense (stare + gerund), you have two options for object pronouns. You can attach them to the end of the gerund (sto calmandolo) or place them before the conjugated verb (lo sto calmando). Both mean the exact same thing and are widely used.

What does the phrase fa i capricci mean literally?

Fare i capricci is a common idiom used when a child is acting up, fussing, or throwing a tantrum. Literally, un capriccio means a whim, fancy, or sudden urge. So fa sempre i capricci essentially means 'he always makes whims.'

When I attach lo to the end of calmando, does it change how the word is pronounced?

The stressed syllable stays exactly where it was before you added the pronoun. In calmando, the stress is on the man (cal-MAN-do). When you add lo, you still stress the man: cal-MAN-do-lo.

Why doesn't the gerund calmando drop its final letter when adding a pronoun, like infinitives do?