Italiano — Lasciare + infinitive
The verb lasciare followed by an infinitive means "to let/allow (someone) do something": lascialo parlare (let him speak). Object pronouns attach to the imperative or precede a finite verb.
How it works
Structure: lasciare + infinitive. The person allowed is the object of lasciare: lascio parlare Marco / lascio Marco parlare (I let Marco speak). With a pronoun, it attaches to the affirmative imperative (lascialo parlare, lasciami stare) but comes before a conjugated verb (lo lascio parlare, non mi lascia stare).
Examples
| Italian | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Lascia parlare Marco. | Let Marco speak. |
| Lascialo parlare. | Let him speak. |
| Lasciami stare. | Leave me alone. |
| Lo lascio parlare. | I let him speak. |
| Non mi lasciano uscire. | They don't let me go out. |
| Lasciateci entrare! | Let us in! |
| Lasciaglielo fare. | Let him do it (for him). |
Good to know
In the tu / voi imperative the pronoun merges with the clipped verb: lascia + lo = lascialo; lasciate + ci = lasciateci. With two pronouns, order is indirect + direct and combine into one word: lasciaglielo (glielo = to him + it). Lasciare here works like fare + infinitive (fallo entrare), and note the fixed idiom lasciar perdere (to let it go / drop it).