Breakdown of È un compito fattibile, lo lascio delegare alla governante.
essere
to be
un
a / an (masculine)
a
to / at
lasciare
to leave (an object)
il compito
the assignment
lo
him/it (direct object)
fattibile
feasible
delegare
to delegate
la governante
the housekeeper
Questions & Answers about È un compito fattibile, lo lascio delegare alla governante.
Why is lo placed before lascio instead of attached to the end of delegare?
This is the core rule of causative verbs like fare (to make/have someone do) and lasciare (to let). In these constructions, object pronouns cannot attach to the infinitive. They must be placed immediately before the conjugated causative verb. So, it has to be lo lascio delegare, never lascio delegarlo.
Why does the sentence use alla governante (to the housekeeper) instead of just la governante?
In causative constructions, if the infinitive verb has a direct object, the person performing the action becomes the indirect object. Because delegare has a direct object here (the pronoun lo), the person doing the delegating must be introduced by the preposition a (alla governante). If there were no direct object, you would just use the direct object for the person, like in Lascio riposare la governante (I let the housekeeper rest).
Could I use faccio instead of lascio in this sentence?
Grammatically, yes, and the pronoun placement rules would be exactly the same (lo faccio delegare). However, it changes the meaning. Fare implies you are causing or ordering the action ('I have the housekeeper delegate it'), whereas lasciare means you are permitting it or stepping back to allow it ('I let the housekeeper delegate it').
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