Learn Italian: La paura le fa mancare il respiro. - Fear makes her lose her breath.

La paura le fa mancare il respiro.

Fear makes her lose her breath.

Breakdown of La paura le fa mancare il respiro.

to be missing / to lack

Questions & Answers about La paura le fa mancare il respiro.

Why is the indirect pronoun le used here instead of the direct pronoun la?

This sentence uses the causative construction, where fare is combined with an infinitive to mean "making" someone do something. The rule is: if the infinitive verb has its own direct object, the person being "made" to do the action must take an indirect object pronoun. Here, the infinitive mancare has the direct object il respiro (the breath). Therefore, "her" becomes the indirect object le (to her). Literal translation: Fear makes the breath fail to her.

How exactly does mancare mean "lose" in this context?

It doesn't literally mean "lose." In Italian, you don't "lose" your breath; rather, your breath "fails" or "is lacking." The set expression is mancare il respiro (for breath to fail). Combined with the causative fa, it creates the meaning that fear "causes the breath to fail."

Why does paura have a definite article (La) when the English translation just says "Fear"?

In Italian, abstract nouns like paura (fear), pazienza (patience), or libertà (freedom) require a definite article when they refer to a general, broad concept. This rule is especially strict when the abstract noun is the subject of the sentence.

Could I translate "makes her lose" using the verb perdere instead of mancare?