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Il direttore fa un complimento al collega.

Il direttore fa un complimento al collega.
The manager pays the colleague a compliment.
From Lesson 55:Auguri! Wishes and celebrations·Italian

Questions & Answers about Il direttore fa un complimento al collega.

Why does the sentence use fa instead of a word for paying?
In English, we pay a compliment, but in Italian, you make or do one. The verb fare (to do or to make) is used in many common expressions where English uses a different verb. So, fare un complimento is the Italian way to say paying a compliment.
What exactly is al?
The word al means to the. It is formed by combining the preposition a (to) and the masculine singular article il (the). In Italian, certain short prepositions merge with the definite article to create one combined word, known as an articulated preposition.
The word collega ends in -a. Doesn't that usually mean it is a feminine word?
Normally yes, but collega is a special word that can be either masculine or feminine depending on the person! A male colleague is il collega and a female colleague is la collega. We know this sentence is about a male colleague because it uses al (a + il). For a female colleague, it would be alla (a + la).
If the manager were a woman, would it be la direttora?
No, it would be la direttrice. In Italian, masculine professions ending in -tore (like direttore or attore) almost always change to -trice in the feminine form.

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