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Ieri mi sono fatto accorciare l'orlo dal sarto.

Ieri mi sono fatto accorciare l'orlo dal sarto.
Yesterday I had the hem shortened by the tailor.
From Lesson 302:Reflexive causatives (farsi)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Ieri mi sono fatto accorciare l'orlo dal sarto.

Why does this sentence use sono instead of ho with fatto?
Normally, the verb fare takes avere in the past tense (ho fatto). However, because we are using the reflexive pronoun mi to mean you had something done for yourself, the verb acts as a reflexive verb (farsi). In Italian, all reflexive verbs must use essere in the past tense, which is why the auxiliary shifts to mi sono fatto.
How does mi sono fatto accorciare translate to 'I had the hem shortened'?
This uses the reflexive causative construction: farsi plus an infinitive verb (accorciare). It is used when you get someone else to do a service for you. Literally, mi sono fatto accorciare translates to 'I made to shorten for myself', which is how Italians naturally express getting something done.
Would fatto change to fatta if a woman were speaking?
Yes! Because the auxiliary verb has shifted to essere, the past participle fatto must agree with the gender and number of the subject in this construction. A female speaker would say Ieri mi sono fatta accorciare l'orlo dal sarto.
Why is the preposition da used in dal sarto?
In a causative construction, the person who actually performs the action (the tailor) is introduced by the preposition da (by), just like in a passive sentence. Since sarto requires the definite article il, they combine to form the articulated preposition dal.

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