Learn Italian: Non prestargliela! Ha rotto la cucitrice. - Do not lend it to her! She broke the stapler.

Non prestargliela! Ha rotto la cucitrice.

Do not lend it to her! She broke the stapler.

Breakdown of Non prestargliela! Ha rotto la cucitrice.

it to him/her/them (feminine)

Questions & Answers about Non prestargliela! Ha rotto la cucitrice.

Why is gliela attached to the end of prestare?

When giving a negative command to 'tu', you use non + the infinitive verb (prestare). With this form, you have two choices for dual pronouns: you can attach them to the end (dropping the final -e to get prestargliela) or put them before the verb (Non gliela prestare!). Both are completely correct.

Why does the combined pronoun use glie- if we are saying "to her"? Shouldn't it be le?

Normally, "to her" is le. However, whenever le (to her) or gli (to him) combines with a direct object pronoun like la, lo, li, or le, they both turn into the shared combining form glie-. So gliela can mean "it to him", "it to her", or even "it to them" depending on the context!

What does the -la in prestargliela replace?

It replaces la cucitrice (the stapler). Because cucitrice is a feminine singular noun, it takes the feminine singular direct object pronoun la.

I don't recognize the verb form rotto. Which verb is this?