{"id":59997,"date":"2026-05-14T19:21:29","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T10:21:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/?p=59997"},"modified":"2026-05-14T19:21:29","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T10:21:29","slug":"italian-la-idioms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-la-idioms\/","title":{"rendered":"Italian La Idioms: Smetterla, Farcela, Cavarsela (B1)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>\ud83d\udd0d <strong>In short.<\/strong> Italian has a family of idiomatic verbs that all carry a small, apparently meaningless feminine pronoun <em>la<\/em> stuck to the end: <em>smetterla<\/em> (&#8220;to stop it&#8221;), <em>farcela<\/em> (&#8220;to manage&#8221;), <em>cavarsela<\/em> (&#8220;to get by&#8221;), <em>sentirsela<\/em> (&#8220;to feel up to&#8221;), <em>prendersela<\/em> (&#8220;to take offence&#8221;), <em>godersela<\/em> (&#8220;to have a good time&#8221;), and a handful of others. <strong>Italian la idioms<\/strong> are part of the wider family of pronominal verbs, where <em>la<\/em> stands roughly for <em>una cosa<\/em> (an unspecified thing or situation). The pronoun never changes form, but in compound tenses the past participle agrees with it in the feminine singular: <em>ce l&#8217;ho fatta<\/em>, <em>me la sono cavata<\/em>. This B1 guide walks through the eight most common verbs, the conjugation rules, and a private-tutoring dialogue in Padova.<\/p>\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" \/>\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-toc-li\"><div class=\"gb-inside-container\">\n<p><\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-toc-li-t gb-headline-text\">Cosa impareremo oggi<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">\ud83d\udc46\ud83c\udffb Jump to section<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" \/>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#one-liner\">The one-line rule for italian la idioms<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#farcela\">Farcela: to manage, to succeed<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#cavarsela\">Cavarsela: to get by, to muddle through<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#smetterla\">Smetterla and piantarla: to stop it<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#sentirsela\">Sentirsela: to feel up to it<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#prendersela\">Prendersela: to take offence<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#avercela\">Avercela con qualcuno: to hold a grudge<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#godersela\">Godersela: to have a good time<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#squagliarsela\">Squagliarsela and farla finita: to escape, to wrap up<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#participle\">Past participle agreement with la<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#mistakes\">Common mistakes<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#cheat-sheet\">Cheat sheet for italian la idioms<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#dialogue\">Dialogue: a tutoring session in Padova<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#faq\">Frequently asked questions<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#related\">Related guides<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#quiz\">Quiz<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"one-liner\">The one-line rule for italian la idioms<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The <em>la<\/em> in italian la idioms is a fossilised clitic. Centuries ago it referred to a specific thing (often <em>una cosa<\/em>, &#8220;a thing&#8221;), but in modern usage the link to any concrete object is gone. The result is a set of verbs that always carry <em>la<\/em> attached, mean something different from the base verb, and follow their own conjugation rules. <em>Smettere<\/em> means &#8220;to stop&#8221;; <em>smetterla<\/em> means &#8220;to stop doing something annoying&#8221;. <em>Fare<\/em> means &#8220;to make \/ to do&#8221;; <em>farcela<\/em> means &#8220;to manage \/ succeed&#8221;. The pattern is fixed and idiomatic: you learn the pair as a unit.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Ce l&#8217;ho fatta a finire i compiti prima di cena. <em>I managed to finish the homework before dinner.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Smettila di guardare il telefono mentre ti spiego. <em>Stop looking at your phone while I&#8217;m explaining.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Me la cavo con l&#8217;inglese, ma in tedesco no. <em>I get by in English, but not in German.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Non te la prendere, stavo scherzando. <em>Don&#8217;t take it the wrong way, I was joking.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Te la senti di provare un esercizio pi\u00f9 difficile? <em>Do you feel up to trying a harder exercise?<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"farcela\">Farcela: to manage, to succeed<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The most common of all italian la idioms is <em>farcela<\/em>. It means &#8220;to manage, to succeed, to make it&#8221;, often with an undertone of effort or struggle. The structure is <em>fare<\/em> + <em>ce<\/em> + <em>la<\/em>, with the locative <em>ci<\/em> turning into <em>ce<\/em> before <em>la<\/em>. The pronouns travel with the verb: <em>ce la faccio<\/em>, <em>ce la facciamo<\/em>, <em>ce l&#8217;ho fatta<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Proprio non ce la faccio pi\u00f9 con queste equazioni. <em>I really can&#8217;t manage any more with these equations.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Ce l&#8217;ho fatta a parcheggiare in retromarcia. <em>I managed to park in reverse.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Caterina ce l&#8217;ha fatta a finire la tesi in un mese. <em>Caterina managed to finish her thesis in a month.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Se non ce la fai da solo, chiamami. <em>If you can&#8217;t manage on your own, call me.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Ce la facciamo, basta tenere il ritmo. <em>We&#8217;ll make it, we just have to keep the pace.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>Notice the past participle agreement: <em>ce l&#8217;ho fatta<\/em>, not <em>ce l&#8217;ho fatto<\/em>. The participle <em>fatto<\/em> agrees with the feminine pronoun <em>la<\/em>, becoming <em>fatta<\/em>. This agreement rule applies to all the la-idioms in compound tenses, and we&#8217;ll come back to it in detail below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"cavarsela\">Cavarsela: to get by, to muddle through<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If <em>farcela<\/em> is about full success, <em>cavarsela<\/em> is about scraping by. It means &#8220;to manage&#8221;, &#8220;to get by&#8221;, &#8220;to muddle through&#8221; with a flavour of &#8220;I&#8217;m not great at this, but I&#8217;ll cope&#8221;. The structure is reflexive: <em>cavare<\/em> + <em>se<\/em> + <em>la<\/em>, conjugated as <em>me la cavo<\/em>, <em>te la cavi<\/em>, <em>se la cava<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Me la cavo con le derivate, \u00e8 il limite che mi frega. <em>I get by with derivatives, it&#8217;s limits that get me.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Lorenzo se la cava in inglese, niente di che. <em>Lorenzo gets by in English, nothing special.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Ce la siamo cavata bene con la traduzione. <em>We managed well with the translation.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Caterina se la cava in qualsiasi situazione. <em>Caterina gets by in any situation.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Mi sono cavato dall&#8217;imbarazzo con una battuta. <em>I got out of the embarrassment with a joke.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>The shade between <em>farcela<\/em> and <em>cavarsela<\/em> is real. <em>Ce l&#8217;ho fatta col compito<\/em> = &#8220;I succeeded in the test&#8221;. <em>Me la sono cavata col compito<\/em> = &#8220;I scraped by in the test, not brilliantly, but OK&#8221;. The first is triumph; the second is survival. Italians distinguish the two cleanly.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-task-li-1\"><div class=\"gb-inside-container\">\n<p>\ud83c\udfaf <strong>Mini-challenge:<\/strong> Pick the right la-idiom for each sentence.<\/p>\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Lorenzo, ____ di fare rumore, sto studiando! (&#8220;stop it&#8221;)<\/li>\n<li>Non ____ se ti correggo, \u00e8 per aiutarti. (&#8220;don&#8217;t take it the wrong way&#8221;)<\/li>\n<li>____ a finire l&#8217;esercizio prima di cena! (&#8220;we managed&#8221;)<\/li>\n<li>Caterina ____ in matematica, ma fatica in chimica. (&#8220;gets by&#8221;)<\/li>\n<li>____ di provare un problema pi\u00f9 difficile? (&#8220;do you feel up to&#8221;)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n<details><summary><strong>\ud83d\udc49 See answers<\/strong><\/summary>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>1. <strong>smettila<\/strong> (imperative tu)<\/p>\n<p>2. <strong>te la prendere<\/strong> (negative imperative)<\/p>\n<p>3. <strong>Ce l&#8217;abbiamo fatta<\/strong> (passato prossimo, agreement feminine: fatta)<\/p>\n<p>4. <strong>se la cava<\/strong> (present, 3rd singular)<\/p>\n<p>5. <strong>Te la senti<\/strong> (present, 2nd singular)<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"smetterla\">Smetterla and piantarla: to stop it<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Two near-synonyms among italian la idioms: <em>smetterla<\/em> and <em>piantarla<\/em>, both meaning &#8220;to stop it&#8221; or &#8220;to cut it out&#8221;. <em>Smetterla<\/em> is the standard form; <em>piantarla<\/em> is more colloquial and slightly stronger. Both are usually used in the imperative or with <em>la voglio smettere \/ piantare<\/em>. They take a complement introduced by <em>di<\/em> + infinitive: <em>smettila di fare rumore<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Smettila di guardare il telefono mentre ti spiego. <em>Stop looking at your phone while I&#8217;m explaining.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>La vuoi smettere di fare lo scemo? <em>Will you stop being a fool?<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Piantala con quel rumore, ti prego! <em>Cut it out with that noise, please!<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Lorenzo, smettila di lamentarti, sono solo equazioni. <em>Lorenzo, stop complaining, they&#8217;re just equations.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Voglio farla finita con questo capitolo prima di Natale. <em>I want to be done with this chapter before Christmas.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>A close cousin: <em>farla finita<\/em> (&#8220;to put an end to it&#8221;). The construction is <em>fare<\/em> + <em>la<\/em> + <em>finita<\/em> (adjective agreeing feminine singular). It carries more weight than <em>smetterla<\/em>: you&#8217;re not just stopping, you&#8217;re closing the chapter for good. <em>Farla finita con qualcuno<\/em> can also mean &#8220;to break up with someone&#8221; in a relationship context.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"sentirsela\">Sentirsela: to feel up to it<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The verb <em>sentirsela<\/em> means &#8220;to feel up to doing something&#8221;, and it&#8217;s the standard polite way of checking whether someone has the energy or willingness for a task. The structure is <em>sentire<\/em> + <em>se<\/em> + <em>la<\/em>, conjugated as <em>me la sento<\/em>, <em>te la senti<\/em>, <em>se la sente<\/em>. The complement is <em>di<\/em> + infinitive.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Te la senti di provare un esercizio pi\u00f9 difficile? <em>Do you feel up to trying a harder exercise?<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Proprio non me la sento di uscire stasera. <em>I really don&#8217;t feel up to going out tonight.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Lorenzo non se l&#8217;\u00e8 sentita di affrontare il compito. <em>Lorenzo didn&#8217;t feel up to facing the test.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Se ve la sentite, possiamo fare due ore in pi\u00f9. <em>If you feel up to it, we can do two more hours.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Caterina se l&#8217;\u00e8 sentita di guidare fino a Trieste senza fermarsi. <em>Caterina felt up to driving to Trieste without stopping.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>The verb is reflexive in form but emotional in meaning. It&#8217;s not about physical feeling but about willingness. A tutor asking <em>te la senti?<\/em> is asking &#8220;are you ready to handle this?&#8221;, not &#8220;do you feel well?&#8221;. The English match shifts based on context: &#8220;do you feel up to it&#8221;, &#8220;are you ready for it&#8221;, &#8220;do you feel like doing it&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"prendersela\">Prendersela: to take offence<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The verb <em>prendersela<\/em> means &#8220;to take offence&#8221;, &#8220;to be hurt&#8221;, &#8220;to take it personally&#8221;. The structure is <em>prendere<\/em> + <em>se<\/em> + <em>la<\/em>, with the typical reflexive conjugation. It&#8217;s the verb Italians reach for whenever someone reacts badly to a joke or criticism.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Non te la prendere, stavo scherzando. <em>Don&#8217;t take it the wrong way, I was joking.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Lorenzo se la prende sempre quando lo correggo. <em>Lorenzo always takes offence when I correct him.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Non me la sono presa per quello che hai detto. <em>I didn&#8217;t take offence at what you said.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Caterina se l&#8217;\u00e8 presa con il commento del prof. <em>Caterina took offence at the teacher&#8217;s comment.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Non te la prendere se ti dico che hai sbagliato. <em>Don&#8217;t take it the wrong way if I tell you you made a mistake.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>The companion construction <em>prendersela con qualcuno<\/em> means &#8220;to be angry with someone&#8221; specifically. <em>Si \u00e8 presa con me<\/em> = &#8220;she got angry with me&#8221;. The preposition <em>con<\/em> is built into the meaning. Without <em>con<\/em>, the verb is about taking offence in general, not at one specific person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"avercela\">Avercela con qualcuno: to hold a grudge<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the trickiest italian la idioms because of the spelling: <em>avercela<\/em> (literally &#8220;to have it&#8221;) almost always appears with <em>con<\/em> + person, and it means &#8220;to be annoyed with someone&#8221;, &#8220;to hold a grudge against them&#8221;. The structure is <em>avere<\/em> + <em>ce<\/em> + <em>la<\/em>, conjugated as <em>ce l&#8217;ho<\/em>, <em>ce l&#8217;hai<\/em>, <em>ce l&#8217;ha<\/em>. The contracted form <em>ce l&#8217;<\/em> + verb is standard in writing.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Non ce l&#8217;ho con te ma col tuo prof di matematica. <em>I&#8217;m not annoyed with you, but with your maths teacher.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Lorenzo ce l&#8217;ha con tutti oggi. <em>Lorenzo is annoyed with everyone today.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Perch\u00e9 ce l&#8217;hai con me? Non ho fatto niente. <em>Why are you annoyed with me? I didn&#8217;t do anything.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Caterina ce l&#8217;aveva con la scuola da settimane. <em>Caterina had been annoyed with the school for weeks.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>Don&#8217;t confuse <em>ce l&#8217;ho con qualcuno<\/em> (&#8220;I&#8217;m annoyed with someone&#8221;) with <em>ce l&#8217;ho<\/em> + object (&#8220;I have it&#8221;). The two look identical: <em>ce l&#8217;ho<\/em> in <em>ce l&#8217;ho col tuo prof<\/em> means &#8220;annoyed with&#8221;; <em>ce l&#8217;ho<\/em> in <em>ce l&#8217;ho il libro<\/em> means &#8220;I have the book&#8221;. Context decides, and the preposition <em>con<\/em> + person is the giveaway for the idiomatic meaning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"godersela\">Godersela: to have a good time<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The verb <em>godersela<\/em> means &#8220;to have a good time&#8221;, &#8220;to enjoy oneself&#8221;. Built from <em>godere<\/em> (&#8220;to enjoy&#8221;) + <em>se<\/em> + <em>la<\/em>, it carries the flavour of relaxing, treating yourself, enjoying life. In some contexts it can also imply taking it easy while others are working.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>E io devo lavorare mentre voi ve la godete. <em>And I have to work while you enjoy yourselves.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Lorenzo se la sta godendo al mare con i cugini. <em>Lorenzo is enjoying himself at the sea with his cousins.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Me la sono goduta proprio, quella serata. <em>I really enjoyed that evening.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Goditela finch\u00e9 puoi, le vacanze finiscono presto. <em>Enjoy it while you can, holidays end soon.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Se la godono in pensione, viaggiano tutti i mesi. <em>They&#8217;re enjoying retirement, they travel every month.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>The imperative <em>goditela<\/em> is one of the most affectionate Italian expressions: a friend wishing you well as you head off on holiday will say <em>goditela!<\/em> (&#8220;enjoy it!&#8221;). The verb captures a specifically Italian attitude to leisure: you don&#8217;t just have free time, you savour it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"squagliarsela\">Squagliarsela and farla finita: to escape, to wrap up<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Two more colourful italian la idioms. <em>Squagliarsela<\/em> means &#8220;to make a run for it&#8221;, &#8220;to slip away unnoticed&#8221;. <em>Squagliare<\/em> literally means &#8220;to melt&#8221;, and the reflexive form with <em>la<\/em> evokes someone melting away from a scene. The verb is colloquial and very Italian, with no clean English equivalent.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Hanno approfittato della distrazione del prof per squagliarsela. <em>They took advantage of the teacher&#8217;s distraction to slip away.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Quando ha visto i compiti, Lorenzo se l&#8217;\u00e8 squagliata in bagno. <em>When he saw the test, Lorenzo slipped off to the bathroom.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Volevo squagliarmela prima della riunione, ma Caterina mi ha visto. <em>I wanted to slip away before the meeting, but Caterina saw me.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>And <em>farla finita<\/em>, already mentioned, means &#8220;to put an end to it&#8221;, with the participle <em>finita<\/em> agreeing feminine singular with <em>la<\/em>. It can describe ending a chapter of study, ending a relationship, or, in more grim contexts, ending one&#8217;s life (use with care).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"participle\">Past participle agreement with la<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The defining grammatical feature of italian la idioms in compound tenses: the past participle agrees with the feminine pronoun <em>la<\/em>, not with the subject. Even though the verb might take <em>avere<\/em> as auxiliary (which usually means no agreement), <em>la<\/em> forces the participle into the feminine singular -a ending.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th>Infinitive<\/th><th>Passato prossimo<\/th><th>Agreement<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody>\n<tr><td>farcela<\/td><td>ce l&#8217;ho fatta<\/td><td>fatta (feminine -a)<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>cavarsela<\/td><td>me la sono cavata<\/td><td>cavata<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>smetterla<\/td><td>l&#8217;ho smessa<\/td><td>smessa<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>sentirsela<\/td><td>me la sono sentita<\/td><td>sentita<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>prendersela<\/td><td>me la sono presa<\/td><td>presa<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>godersela<\/td><td>me la sono goduta<\/td><td>goduta<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>squagliarsela<\/td><td>me la sono squagliata<\/td><td>squagliata<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>farla finita<\/td><td>l&#8217;ho fatta finita<\/td><td>fatta (+ adj finita)<\/td><\/tr>\n<\/tbody><\/table><\/figure><!-- \/wp:table&gt;-->\n\n\n<p>A man says <em>ce l&#8217;ho fatta<\/em>; a woman also says <em>ce l&#8217;ho fatta<\/em>. Both agree with <em>la<\/em>, not with the speaker. The same rule applies to all the la-idioms: <em>l&#8217;ho smessa<\/em> regardless of who is speaking, <em>me la sono cavata<\/em> for any speaker. This is one of the most distinctive features of italian la idioms and worth memorising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"mistakes\">Common mistakes<\/h2>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Forgetting the feminine agreement: <em>ce l&#8217;ho fatto<\/em> instead of <em>ce l&#8217;ho fatta<\/em>. The participle agrees with <em>la<\/em>, not the subject.<\/li>\n<li>Using the base verb instead of the la-idiom: <em>smetti di parlare<\/em> works (it means &#8220;stop talking&#8221;), but <em>smettila<\/em> is the natural Italian form, with the added flavour &#8220;I&#8217;m tired of this&#8221;. The la-version is more emphatic.<\/li>\n<li>Translating <em>ce l&#8217;ho con te<\/em> as &#8220;I have it with you&#8221;. The idiom means &#8220;I&#8217;m annoyed with you&#8221;, not &#8220;I have something with you&#8221;. The English translation has to switch verbs entirely.<\/li>\n<li>Mixing up <em>farcela<\/em> and <em>fare a meno di<\/em>. <em>Farcela<\/em> = to manage; <em>fare a meno di<\/em> = to do without. <em>Ce la faccio senza il dizionario<\/em> = I&#8217;ll manage without the dictionary; <em>faccio a meno del dizionario<\/em> = I&#8217;ll do without the dictionary.<\/li>\n<li>Pronouncing <em>ce l&#8217;ho<\/em> as separate words. The pronouns blend: <em>ce l&#8217;ho<\/em> sounds like one continuous unit, <em>cel-lo<\/em>. In writing, the apostrophe is mandatory.<\/li>\n<li>Using the la-idioms in formal academic writing. These are colloquial-leaning expressions. In a thesis or legal document, prefer the base verbs: <em>riuscire<\/em> instead of <em>farcela<\/em>, <em>arrabbiarsi con<\/em> instead of <em>avercela con<\/em>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"cheat-sheet\">Cheat sheet for italian la idioms<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Quick reference for the eight most common italian la idioms.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th>Verb<\/th><th>Meaning<\/th><th>Present (io)<\/th><th>Passato prossimo (io)<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody>\n<tr><td>farcela<\/td><td>to manage, succeed<\/td><td>ce la faccio<\/td><td>ce l&#8217;ho fatta<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>cavarsela<\/td><td>to get by, muddle through<\/td><td>me la cavo<\/td><td>me la sono cavata<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>smetterla<\/td><td>to stop it<\/td><td>la smetto<\/td><td>l&#8217;ho smessa<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>piantarla<\/td><td>to stop it (colloquial)<\/td><td>la pianto<\/td><td>l&#8217;ho piantata<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>sentirsela<\/td><td>to feel up to it<\/td><td>me la sento<\/td><td>me la sono sentita<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>prendersela<\/td><td>to take offence<\/td><td>me la prendo<\/td><td>me la sono presa<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>avercela con<\/td><td>to hold a grudge against<\/td><td>ce l&#8217;ho (con X)<\/td><td>ce l&#8217;ho avuta (con X)<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>godersela<\/td><td>to have a good time<\/td><td>me la godo<\/td><td>me la sono goduta<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>squagliarsela<\/td><td>to slip away<\/td><td>me la squaglio<\/td><td>me la sono squagliata<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>farla finita<\/td><td>to put an end to it<\/td><td>la faccio finita<\/td><td>l&#8217;ho fatta finita<\/td><\/tr>\n<\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"dialogue\">Dialogue: a tutoring session in Padova<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The following dialogue shows italian la idioms in everyday B1 use. Caterina runs maths tutoring sessions for high school students in Padova. Lorenzo is one of her regulars: bright but easily distracted. Today they&#8217;re prepping for a test on equations.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-dialog-li\"><div class=\"gb-inside-container\">\n<p>\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffd\u200d\ud83e\uddb1 <strong>Caterina:<\/strong> Lorenzo, smettila di guardare il telefono. Tra mezz&#8217;ora ci sono i tuoi genitori e voglio vederti pronto per il compito.<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc68\ud83c\udffc\u200d\ud83e\uddb0 <strong>Lorenzo:<\/strong> Scusa, era mia sorella. Comunque non ce la faccio pi\u00f9 con queste equazioni di secondo grado.<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffd\u200d\ud83e\uddb1 <strong>Caterina:<\/strong> Te la senti di provare un esercizio tipo, senza guardare le formule? Vediamo dove sei.<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc68\ud83c\udffc\u200d\ud83e\uddb0 <strong>Lorenzo:<\/strong> Va bene. Per\u00f2 non te la prendere se sbaglio. La prof ieri mi ha sgridato davanti a tutti per uno svarione.<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffd\u200d\ud83e\uddb1 <strong>Caterina:<\/strong> Tranquillo, non me la prendo. Anzi, ce l&#8217;ho un po&#8217; con la tua prof: con uno studente cos\u00ec bravo come te, doveva essere pi\u00f9 paziente.<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc68\ud83c\udffc\u200d\ud83e\uddb0 <strong>Lorenzo:<\/strong> S\u00ec, ce l&#8217;ha con me da settimane. Comunque io me la cavo con le equazioni semplici, ma quando ci sono le radici quadrate mi blocco.<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffd\u200d\ud83e\uddb1 <strong>Caterina:<\/strong> Allora partiamo da l\u00ec. Piantala con la paura della radice, \u00e8 solo un&#8217;operazione. Ce la fai a fare questa?<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc68\ud83c\udffc\u200d\ud83e\uddb0 <strong>Lorenzo:<\/strong> Provo. Ma se mi blocco di nuovo, voglio farla finita con la matematica e iscrivermi a lettere.<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffd\u200d\ud83e\uddb1 <strong>Caterina:<\/strong> Non dirlo nemmeno per scherzo. Mio cugino Pietro voleva squagliarsela alla terza superiore e oggi fa l&#8217;ingegnere a Bologna.<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc68\ud83c\udffc\u200d\ud83e\uddb0 <strong>Lorenzo:<\/strong> Ah, ce l&#8217;ho fatta! Mi \u00e8 uscito quindici. \u00c8 giusto?<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffd\u200d\ud83e\uddb1 <strong>Caterina:<\/strong> Esatto. Visto che ce l&#8217;hai fatta? Adesso un&#8217;altra: te la senti di farne due in fila?<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc68\ud83c\udffc\u200d\ud83e\uddb0 <strong>Lorenzo:<\/strong> Me la sento. E poi me la godo un po&#8217; al parco con Federica, ho meritato la pausa.<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffd\u200d\ud83e\uddb1 <strong>Caterina:<\/strong> Godetevela tutta. Per\u00f2 luned\u00ec vieni con l&#8217;esercitazione completa, eh.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What to notice in the dialogue<\/h3>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>smettila, piantala con la paura<\/strong>: smetterla \/ piantarla in the imperative.<\/li>\n<li><strong>non ce la faccio, ce la fai, ce l&#8217;ho fatta<\/strong>: farcela across tenses, with participle agreement in <em>fatta<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>te la senti, me la sento<\/strong>: sentirsela for willingness check.<\/li>\n<li><strong>non te la prendere, non me la prendo<\/strong>: prendersela for taking offence.<\/li>\n<li><strong>ce l&#8217;ho con la prof, ce l&#8217;ha con me<\/strong>: avercela con for holding a grudge.<\/li>\n<li><strong>me la cavo con le equazioni<\/strong>: cavarsela for getting by.<\/li>\n<li><strong>voglio farla finita, squagliarsela<\/strong>: farla finita and squagliarsela for putting an end \/ escaping.<\/li>\n<li><strong>me la godo, godetevela<\/strong>: godersela for enjoying time off.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"quiz\">Test your understanding<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Take the quiz below to test what you&#8217;ve learned about italian la idioms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center;padding:30px;background:#f4f5f6;border-radius:10px;color:#888\"><em>(Quiz coming soon)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"faq\">Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>These questions about italian la idioms come from real B1 learners untangling Italian pronominal verbs. For the dictionary view, the Treccani entries on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.treccani.it\/vocabolario\/farcela\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">farcela<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.treccani.it\/vocabolario\/cavarsela\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">cavarsela<\/a> give the full picture in standard Italian.<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"rank-math-faq\" class=\"rank-math-block\">\n<div class=\"rank-math-list \">\n<div id=\"faq-li-q1\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">What does the la in smetterla refer to?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>In modern Italian, nothing concrete. The la in italian la idioms is a fossilised pronoun that originally referred to a specific thing (often una cosa, a thing or situation), but in current usage the connection to any concrete noun is gone. The la is now part of the verb itself, like a fixed suffix. Smetterla means to stop it, with it being an unspecified annoying thing. The same logic applies to farcela, cavarsela, prendersela: la stands for the situation, the thing, the moment.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-li-q2\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Smettila or smettila di + infinitive: which is correct?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Both are correct, with different functions. Smettila on its own is a command meaning stop it!, addressed to someone doing something annoying. Smettila di + infinitive specifies what to stop: smettila di fare rumore (stop making noise), smettila di lamentarti (stop complaining). Italians often use the bare form for short commands and the di + infinitive form when they want to spell out exactly what bothers them.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-li-q3\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">How do I make these compound tenses?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>All italian la idioms use the same rule in compound tenses: the past participle agrees with la in the feminine singular. So ce l&#8217;ho fatta (not ce l&#8217;ho fatto), me la sono cavata (not cavato), l&#8217;ho smessa (not smesso), me la sono goduta (not goduto). Even when the speaker is male, the agreement is feminine because it tracks la, not the subject. Reflexive la-idioms (cavarsela, sentirsela, prendersela, godersela, squagliarsela) take essere as auxiliary; farcela and avercela take avere.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-li-q4\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">What&#8217;s the difference between smetterla and piantarla?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>They mean roughly the same thing (to stop it), but the register differs. Smetterla is standard and works in any context. Piantarla is more colloquial and slightly stronger, with a flavour of frustration. Piantala con quel rumore is a more emphatic version of smettila con quel rumore. In writing, prefer smetterla; in heated speech, piantarla works. Both take di + infinitive: smettila di + infinitive, piantala di + infinitive.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-li-q5\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Farcela vs cavarsela: how do they differ?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Farcela is about full success: I made it, I managed (often after effort). Cavarsela is about scraping by: I got by, I muddled through (with the implication that I&#8217;m not great at this). Ce l&#8217;ho fatta col compito = I succeeded in the test (good result). Me la sono cavata col compito = I scraped by in the test (passing but not impressive). Italians distinguish the two cleanly, and the choice tells the listener whether you triumphed or just survived.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-li-q6\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Why ce l&#8217;ho fatta and not ce l&#8217;ho fatto?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Because the past participle agrees with the feminine pronoun la, not with the speaker or the subject. La is feminine singular, so the participle ends in -a: fatta. This rule is mandatory and applies regardless of who is speaking. A man who succeeded says ce l&#8217;ho fatta; a woman who succeeded says ce l&#8217;ho fatta. Both forms are identical because the agreement is with la, not with the gender of the speaker. The same logic governs me la sono cavata, l&#8217;ho smessa, me la sono goduta.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-li-q7\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Can I use these in formal Italian?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Sparingly. Italian la idioms are colloquial-leaning expressions, comfortable in everyday speech, friendly writing, informal emails, and conversational journalism. In academic prose, legal documents, or formal reports, prefer the base verbs: riuscire instead of farcela (sono riuscito a finire = ce l&#8217;ho fatta a finire), arrabbiarsi con instead of avercela con, smettere di instead of smetterla. The la-idioms aren&#8217;t wrong in formal writing, but they sound out of register.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"related\">Related guides<\/h2>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-pronominal-verbs\/\">Italian Pronominal Verbs: Farcela, Fregarsene, Andarsene (B1\/B2)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-pronouns-modal-verbs\/\">Italian Pronouns with Modal Verbs: Lo Devo Fare or Devo Farlo?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-stressed-pronouns\/\">Italian Stressed Pronouns: Me, Te, Lui vs Mi, Ti, Lo Explained<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-tricky-adverbs\/\">Italian Tricky Adverbs: Ancora, Appena, Cioe, Come, Ecco, Insomma (B1)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\ud83d\udd0d In short. Italian has a family of idiomatic verbs that all carry a small, apparently meaningless feminine pronoun la stuck to the end: smetterla (&#8220;to stop it&#8221;), farcela (&#8220;to manage&#8221;), cavarsela (&#8220;to get by&#8221;), sentirsela (&#8220;to feel up to&#8221;), prendersela (&#8220;to take offence&#8221;), godersela (&#8220;to have a good time&#8221;), and a handful of others. &#8230; <a title=\"Italian La Idioms: Smetterla, Farcela, Cavarsela (B1)\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-la-idioms\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Italian La Idioms: Smetterla, Farcela, Cavarsela (B1)\">Read more \u226b<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10020,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1865,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-59997","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-b1","category-lingua","no-featured-image-padding","pmpro-has-access"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59997","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10020"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59997"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59997\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":59998,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59997\/revisions\/59998"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59997"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59997"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59997"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}