🔍 In short. The Italian causative is the fare (or lasciare) plus infinitive structure that lets you say someone has an action done by somebody else: faccio riparare la macchina, “I have the car repaired”. This guide covers the base pattern, the a or da choice, farsi, lasciare, pronoun position and the traps.
Cosa impareremo oggi
👆🏻 Jump to section
- What the Italian causative actually does
- The base pattern: fare plus infinitive
- Who does it: a or da for the agent
- Farsi plus infinitive: having it done to you
- Lasciare plus infinitive: let and allow
- Where the pronouns go
- Cheat sheet: the causative at a glance
- Dialogue: at the tailor in Lucca
- Five mistakes English speakers make
- Frequently asked questions
- Related guides
What the Italian causative actually does
Walk past a workshop in Lucca and you will hear it constantly: faccio controllare i freni, mi faccio tagliare i capelli, lascio decidere a lei. The Italian causative is how you say that you are not doing the action yourself: you are getting, having, or letting someone else do it. English splits this across “make”, “have”, “get” and “let”; Italian funnels almost all of it through one verb, fare, plus an infinitive.
The single most important thing to absorb early: where English often uses a past participle (“I had the car repaired”), the causative in Italian uses an infinitive: ho fatto riparare la macchina, literally “I had repair the car”. Translate the English participle directly and the sentence breaks. Keep the infinitive and the causative falls into place.
One more frame before the patterns. Fare and the infinitive behave as a single block: nothing slips between them, the infinitive never takes its own clitic, and it is never made passive. Hold that block in mind and every causative rule below is just a consequence of it. English speakers tend to overthink the causative because their own language scatters it across four verbs; in Italian one welded structure does the job, and the rest of this guide simply walks the variations one at a time, with a real example for each.
The base pattern: fare plus infinitive
The skeleton is fare + infinitive + the thing. When there is one person involved, that person becomes the direct object of fare.
- Faccio lavorare Pietro fino a tardi.
I make Pietro work late. - La maestra fa leggere i bambini.
The teacher has the children read. - Ho fatto riparare la macchina ieri.
I had the car repaired yesterday. - Quella notizia mi ha fatto piangere.
That news made me cry.
Notice the split. Faccio lavorare Pietro: the infinitive has no object of its own, so Pietro is the direct object. Ho fatto riparare la macchina: here the infinitive already has its own object (la macchina), and there is no second person mentioned. The causative stays compact because fare and the infinitive are welded together.
🎯 Mini-challenge: turn each into a causative with fare.
- Pietro lavora. (io) -> ___
- La macchina viene riparata. (io, ieri) -> ___
- I bambini leggono. (la maestra) -> ___
- Io piango. (quella notizia) -> ___
- La torta viene cotta. (noi) -> ___
👉 Show answers
1. Faccio lavorare Pietro · 2. Ho fatto riparare la macchina ieri · 3. La maestra fa leggere i bambini · 4. Quella notizia mi fa piangere · 5. Facciamo cuocere la torta
Who does it: a or da for the agent
When the infinitive already has its own object and you also want to name the person who performs the action, that person is introduced by a or da. This is the heart of the causative and the part learners get wrong most.
- Faccio scrivere la lettera a Caterina.
I have Caterina write the letter. (a: she is the writer) - Faccio scrivere la lettera da Caterina.
I have the letter written by Caterina. (da: focus on the letter) - Ho fatto riparare l’orologio dal gioielliere.
I had the watch repaired by the jeweller. - Farò controllare i conti al commercialista.
I will have the accountant check the books.
The working rule: a presents an underlying active sentence (Caterina writes), da an underlying passive one (the letter is written by Caterina). In real speech Italians reach for da whenever a would be ambiguous, since a + person could also look like an indirect object. With a human agent and a thing already in play, da is the safer causative choice.
🔍 Ambiguity test. If a + person could be misread as “to that person”, switch to da. Faccio leggere la storia ai bambini (to the children) vs Faccio leggere la storia dai bambini (the children read it).
🎯 Mini-challenge: add the agent with da (the unambiguous causative choice here).
- Faccio tagliare l’erba ___ Lorenzo.
- Ho fatto controllare il motore ___ meccanico.
- Facciamo tradurre il contratto ___ un’esperta.
- Farò sistemare il giardino ___ vivaista.
- Ha fatto firmare il documento ___ notaio.
👉 Show answers
1. da · 2. dal · 3. da · 4. dal · 5. dal (da plus the article: the agent is the doer, da removes ambiguity)
Farsi plus infinitive: having it done to you
Make the causative reflexive and you get farsi + infinitive: you arrange for something to be done to or for yourself. This is the everyday workhorse at the hairdresser, the doctor, the tailor.
- Mi sono fatta tagliare i capelli a Lecce.
I had my hair cut in Lecce. - Si fa portare la spesa a casa.
She has the groceries delivered to her house. - Vorrei farmi spiegare la regola da Silvia.
I would like to have the rule explained to me by Silvia. - Non riesce a farsi capire al telefono.
He cannot make himself understood on the phone.
Two points keep farsi clean. The agent after a reflexive causative is introduced by da: mi faccio aiutare da Lorenzo. And the participle of fare agrees in compound tenses with the reflexive subject: Caterina si è fatta accompagnare. This is exactly how Italian expresses what English does with “get my hair cut” or “have the rule explained”.
🎯 Mini-challenge: rewrite with farsi plus infinitive.
- Il parrucchiere mi taglia i capelli. -> (io) ___
- Silvia mi spiega la regola. -> (io, vorrei) ___
- Lorenzo mi aiuta. -> (io, mi) ___
- Il fattorino le porta la spesa. -> (lei) ___
- Caterina viene accompagnata. -> (passato prossimo) ___
👉 Show answers
1. Mi faccio tagliare i capelli · 2. Vorrei farmi spiegare la regola da Silvia · 3. Mi faccio aiutare da Lorenzo · 4. Si fa portare la spesa · 5. Caterina si è fatta accompagnare
Lasciare plus infinitive: let and allow
Swap fare for lasciare and the structure flips from “make” to “let, allow”. The grammar is the same causative block; only the meaning softens.
- Lascia parlare Martina, per favore.
Let Martina speak, please. - Non lo lascio uscire con questo freddo.
I am not letting him go out in this cold. - Lasciamo decidere a loro dove andare.
Let us let them decide where to go. - Lascia cadere quel discorso.
Drop that subject. (let it fall)
One freedom lasciare allows that strict fare does not: the person can sit either right after lasciare as a full noun (lascia parlare Martina) or, as an unstressed pronoun, before it (non lo lascio uscire). Meaning aside, treat lasciare as the gentle twin of the causative fare.
Where the pronouns go
Because fare and the infinitive are one block, object pronouns attach to fare, never to the infinitive. This is the rule that, once internalised, makes the whole causative sound native.
- La macchina? La faccio riparare domani.
The car? I am having it repaired tomorrow. - La lettera a Caterina? Gliela faccio scrivere.
The letter to Caterina? I have her write it. - I capelli? Me li sono fatti tagliare ieri.
My hair? I had it cut yesterday. - Fammi vedere la foto.
Let me see the photo. (pronoun on fare in the imperative)
So it is la faccio riparare, never faccio ripararla. The pronouns climb onto fare, and in the imperative, infinitive or gerund they attach to its end: fammi sapere, farglielo dire. Same logic as modal verbs, sharpened: with the causative there is no second legal position.
🎯 Mini-challenge: put the pronoun in the right place.
- Faccio riparare la macchina. -> (la) ___
- Faccio scrivere la lettera a Caterina. -> (gliela) ___
- Mi sono fatto tagliare i capelli. -> (me li) ___
- Fai vedere a me la foto. -> (imperativo) ___
- Faccio sapere la notizia a Lorenzo. -> (gliela) ___
👉 Show answers
1. La faccio riparare · 2. Gliela faccio scrivere · 3. Me li sono fatti tagliare · 4. Fammi vedere la foto · 5. Gliela faccio sapere
Cheat sheet: the causative at a glance
Keep this open while you build sentences. It collapses the whole causative into one screen.
| Situation | Pattern | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Make one person act | fare + inf + person | Faccio lavorare Pietro. | I make Pietro work. |
| Have a thing done | fare + inf + thing | Ho fatto riparare la macchina. | I had the car repaired. |
| Name the doer (clear) | fare + inf + thing + a | Faccio scrivere la lettera a Caterina. | I have Caterina write it. |
| Name the doer (no ambiguity) | fare + inf + thing + da | Faccio riparare l’orologio dal gioielliere. | by the jeweller |
| To or for yourself | farsi + inf (+ da) | Mi faccio tagliare i capelli. | I get my hair cut. |
| Let, allow | lasciare + inf | Lascia parlare Martina. | Let Martina speak. |
| Pronoun | on fare, never on the infinitive | La faccio riparare. | I have it repaired. |
| Embedded reflexive | fare sì che + subjunctive | Faccio sì che si lavi. | I get him to wash. |
Dialogue: at the tailor in Lucca
Valeria brings a jacket to Lorenzo’s tailor shop in Lucca. Watch the causative do all the work: make, have, get, let.
👩🏽🦱 Valeria: Buongiorno. Vorrei farmi stringere questa giacca, mi sta larga in vita.
Good morning. I would like to have this jacket taken in, it is loose at the waist.
👨🏼🦰 Lorenzo: Certo. Gliela faccio provare un attimo così vedo dove intervenire.
Of course. I will have you try it on a moment so I see where to work.
👩🏽🦱 Valeria: Ecco. Le maniche però le lascerei così, sono giuste.
Here. The sleeves though I would leave as they are, they are fine.
👨🏼🦰 Lorenzo: D’accordo. Allora faccio stringere solo i fianchi. Glielo faccio fare per giovedì.
Agreed. Then I will have only the sides taken in. I will have it done for Thursday.
👩🏽🦱 Valeria: Perfetto. Posso farmi accorciare anche questi pantaloni, già che ci sono?
Perfect. Can I also get these trousers shortened, while I am here?
👨🏼🦰 Lorenzo: Li lasci pure. Li faccio orlare dalla mia collega, è bravissima.
Leave them. I will have them hemmed by my colleague, she is very good.
👩🏽🦱 Valeria: Grazie. Mi fa sapere quando posso passare a ritirare tutto?
Thanks. Will you let me know when I can come by to pick it all up?
👨🏼🦰 Lorenzo: Le faccio mandare un messaggio appena è pronto. Non la faccio aspettare, stia tranquilla.
I will have a message sent to you as soon as it is ready. I will not keep you waiting, do not worry.
What to notice in the dialogue
- farmi stringere, farmi accorciare: farsi plus infinitive, having something done for yourself.
- gliela faccio provare, glielo faccio fare, le faccio mandare: pronouns sit on fare, never on the infinitive.
- li faccio orlare dalla mia collega: the agent introduced by da, the unambiguous causative choice.
- le lascerei così, li lasci pure: lasciare for let and allow, the gentle twin of fare.
Five mistakes English speakers make
These five slips flag a causative sentence as non-native. Each follows from the fare-plus-infinitive block.
Mistake 1. Putting the pronoun on the infinitive. Wrong: faccio ripararla. Correct: la faccio riparare. With the causative the pronoun climbs onto fare.
Mistake 2. Translating the English participle. Wrong: ho avuto i capelli tagliati. Correct: mi sono fatto tagliare i capelli. The causative uses an infinitive, not a participle.
Mistake 3. Keeping the reflexive clitic on the infinitive. Wrong: mi faccio lavarmi. Correct: mi faccio lavare. The embedded infinitive drops its own reflexive.
Mistake 4. Passivising the infinitive. Wrong: faccio essere cantata la canzone. Correct: faccio cantare la canzone. The causative verb can go passive, the infinitive never does.
Mistake 5. Using a where it is ambiguous. Faccio leggere la storia a Pietro can read as “to Pietro”. If Pietro is the reader, the clearer causative is da Pietro.
🎯 Mini-challenge: each causative has one error. Fix it.
- Faccio ripararla la macchina.
- Ho avuto la giacca stretta dal sarto.
- Mi faccio tagliarmi i capelli.
- Faccio essere riparato l’orologio.
- Fammi sapere quando è pronto. (right or wrong?)
👉 Show answers
1. La faccio riparare · 2. Mi sono fatto/a stringere la giacca dal sarto · 3. Mi faccio tagliare i capelli · 4. Faccio riparare l’orologio · 5. correct
Mastering italian causative comes from consistent exposure and small daily practice. Read examples, listen to native speakers, and notice patterns rather than memorise rules. Most learners find that italian causative clicks once they encounter the same structures across different real-world contexts. Pair this guide with the quiz below to lock in italian causative, and revisit it after a week to see what stuck. Italian rewards patient learners: each guide on italian causative stacks the foundation a little higher.
Test your understanding
Take the short quiz below to check whether the causative patterns have stuck.
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Frequently asked questions
These are the doubts that come up again and again with the Italian causative. The structure is documented in the institutional Treccani vocabolario entry on fare.
What is the Italian causative?
The causative is the structure fare (or lasciare) plus an infinitive that says someone has, makes, gets or lets somebody else do an action. Faccio riparare la macchina means I have the car repaired; faccio lavorare Pietro means I make Pietro work. The key difference from English: where English often uses a past participle (I had the car repaired), Italian uses an infinitive (ho fatto riparare). Fare and the infinitive behave as one block.
When do I use a and when da for the person who does it?
When the infinitive already has its own object and you also name the doer, use a for an underlying active reading (Faccio scrivere la lettera a Caterina, Caterina writes it) and da for an underlying passive one (Faccio scrivere la lettera da Caterina). In practice Italians prefer da whenever a plus person could be misread as an indirect object, and especially with a human agent. When in doubt in the causative, da is the safer choice.
How do I say I had my hair cut?
Use farsi plus infinitive: mi sono fatto tagliare i capelli (masculine) or mi sono fatta tagliare i capelli (feminine). The reflexive farsi shows the action is done to or for you, and the participle of fatto agrees with the subject. Add the doer with da: mi sono fatta tagliare i capelli da Silvia. Never ho avuto i capelli tagliati, which copies the English participle and is not how the causative works.
What is the difference between fare and lasciare plus infinitive?
Same causative grammar, different meaning. Fare plus infinitive is make or have: faccio lavorare Pietro. Lasciare plus infinitive is let or allow: lascio parlare Martina, non lo lascio uscire. Lasciare also allows a freer word order: the person can stand right after lasciare as a full noun or before it as an unstressed pronoun (lo lascio uscire). Think of lasciare as the gentle twin of causative fare.
Where do object pronouns go with fare plus infinitive?
On fare, never on the infinitive. La macchina la faccio riparare, not faccio ripararla. With a person and a thing it becomes a double pronoun on fare: la lettera a Caterina, gliela faccio scrivere. In the imperative, infinitive or gerund the pronoun attaches to the end of fare: fammi sapere, farglielo dire. There is no second legal position, unlike with modal verbs.
Can the infinitive after fare be reflexive or passive?
No. The embedded infinitive drops its own reflexive clitic: mi faccio lavare, not mi faccio lavarmi. To express a true embedded reflexive Italian uses fare sì che plus the subjunctive: faccio sì che il bambino si lavi. And the infinitive is never passivised: say faccio cantare la canzone, not faccio essere cantata la canzone. The causative verb itself can go passive (fu fatta approvare la legge), the infinitive cannot.
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Related guides
Once the causative is clear, these guides extend the pieces it leans on.
- Italian DI or A With the Infinitive: fare and lasciare in the bare-infinitive group.
- Italian Modal Verbs: Dovere, Potere, Volere, Sapere: the other verbs that take a bare infinitive.
- Italian DI vs DA: The Complete Guide: da as the agent marker, here and in the passive.
- Italian Verbs Followed by A: the wider a-plus-infinitive family.
- Italian Prepositions: 8 Simple Rules: how a and da divide the work.
