farglielo

Farglielo is an Italian verb phrase formed from the verb fare (to do or make) combined with the clitic pronouns gli (to him, to her, or to you formal) and lo (it). The construction means “to do it for him/her/you” and is widely used in everyday speech to indicate performing a task on someone’s behalf.

Formation and forms. The two clitics attach to the infinitive fare, yielding farglielo. In standard Italian the indirect pronoun precedes the direct one, producing the contracted form glielo (or, in most spoken varieties, faglielo when the choice of pronouns affects the surrounding sounds). The form remains the same across many tenses; the pronouns simply precede the finite verb or, in compound tenses, the auxiliary: Gliel’ho fatto (I did it for him), Faglielo subito (Do it for him right away).

Usage. Farglielo is common in both affirmative and imperative contexts. It is used when the speaker wants to emphasize that a task will be done for someone else. With modal verbs, it appears as Devi farglielo (You must do it for him/her). In commands, Faglielo! means “Do it for him!” The placement rules of clitics apply: pronouns attach directly to the conjugated verb or infinitive, and in compound tenses they appear before the auxiliary verb.

Examples. Devi farglielo subito. (You must do it for him/her right away.) Faglielo ora! (Do it for him now!) Gliel’ho fatto ieri. (I did it for him yesterday.)

See also. Italian grammar on clitic pronouns and composite verb forms; usage of fare with auxiliary verbs and pronouns; pronoun contraction and placement in different tenses.