Question 1

Why is gliela attached to the end of prestar, and can I put it somewhere else?

Accepted Answer

Yes! For the negative informal imperative (telling a friend not to do something), you use non + the infinitive verb. When using an infinitive, you can drop the final -e and attach the pronouns to the end, making prestargliela. However, in this specific negative command, you are also allowed to put the pronouns before the verb: Non gliela prestare! Both are perfectly correct and very common.

Question 2

The translation says "to her", but isn't the pronoun for "to her" normally le?

Accepted Answer

Yes, on its own, "to her" is le. But when you combine le (to her) or gli (to him) with a direct object pronoun like la (it), they both change to glie- to make pronunciation easier. They then combine into a single word. So, gliela can mean "it to him" or "it to her" depending on the context.

Question 3

Why do we use -la at the end of prestargliela?

Accepted Answer

The -la is the direct object pronoun meaning "it". It is feminine singular because it refers to la calcolatrice (the calculator). If you were talking about a masculine object like il libro (the book), the combined pronoun would change to -glielo (prestarglielo).

Question 4

Why is spesso placed after perde?

Accepted Answer

In Italian, adverbs of frequency like spesso (often) or sempre (always) usually go right after the conjugated verb. While English typically puts the adverb before the verb ("She often loses"), Italian naturally places it after (Perde spesso).

Non prestargliela! Perde spesso la calcolatrice.

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