Breakdown of Ho lasciato perdere quel lavoro difficile.
difficile
difficult
il lavoro
the work / the job
lasciare perdere
to drop it, to let it go
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Questions & Answers about Ho lasciato perdere quel lavoro difficile.
Why do we use the infinitive perdere after lasciare here?
This is a very common fixed phrase. Lasciare perdere literally means 'to let lose' or 'to let waste', putting the lesson's permissive construction (lasciare + infinitive) into action. Together, they idiomatically mean to drop something, let it go, or forget about it.
Why is the auxiliary verb avere (in ho) used here instead of essere?
The main verb here is lasciare, which takes avere in compound tenses like the passato prossimo. Even when it is part of a permissive construction and followed by another infinitive like perdere, the auxiliary is still dictated by lasciare.
Why does the sentence use quel instead of quello for 'that'?
The demonstrative adjective quello changes its form depending on the noun that follows it, using the exact same rules as the definite article. Since lavoro uses the article il, quello drops its ending and becomes quel.
Can I use lasciare perdere by itself to say 'never mind'?
Yes! It is extremely common to use this phrase as a standalone command. You can simply say lascia perdere to a friend to mean 'forget about it' or 'never mind'.