Causative Constructions by Ronald Glenn Wrigley
As its name suggests, in a causative construction something causes something else to happen. In a non-causative statement, the subject performs the action. In a causative statement, the subject has someone or something else perform the action.
Non-Causative Statement
Gianni ripara la macchina. |
Gianni fixes the car. |
Causative Statement
Gianni fa riparare la macchina. |
Gianni has the car repaired. |
In a causative construction the verb fare is followed by an infinitive. In addition to expressing the idea of causing something to happen, the causative construction can also be used to express the idea of making someone do or make something. When there is one object in a causative construction, that object is a direct object.
Faccio leggere gli studenti. |
I make the students read. |
Il capo fa lavorare gli impiegati. |
The boss makes the employees work. |
Non fate entrare il cane! |
Don't let the dog in! |
Abbiamo fatto fare quella sedia. |
We had that chair made. |
When written in their non-conjugated forms (fare + infinitive), the final e of the verb fare is omitted for pronunciation purposes. One would say far lavare, instead of fare lavare.
With causative constructions, word order can be tricky. When the object is a noun, it must follow the infinitive form of the verb.
Marco fa lavare la macchina. |
Marco is having his car washed. |
However, when the object is a pronoun, the pronoun must precede the conjugated verb fare.
Marco la fa lavare. |
NOT Marco fa nonelavarla. |
Marco is having it washed. |
Marco l'ha fatta lavare. |
NOT Marco ha fatto lavarla. |
Marco had it washed. |
Non lo fate entrare! |
NOT Non fate entrarlo. |
Don't let him in! |
Il capo li fa lavorare. |
NOT Il capo fa lavorarli. |
The boss makes them work. |
Vi ho fatto partire in ritardo. |
NOT Ho fatto partirvi in ritardo. |
I made you leave late. |
When the infinitive, gerund, past participle, or the second-person imperative of fare is used, the object pronoun is attached to that form.
Ha sbagliato a farvi partire in ritardo. |
He made a mistake in making you leave late. |
Facendovi partire in ritardo, si è sentito male. |
He felt bad, having made you leave late. |
It is possible for a causative construction to have two objects. In these cases, the person being made to do something becomes the indirect object of the verb and is introduced by the preposition a. The object upon which the action of the verb is being performed is the direct object.
One Object |
Two Objects |
Marco fa lavare la macchina. |
Marco fa lavare la macchina a suo figlio. |
Faccio leggere gli studenti. |
Faccio leggere l'articolo agli studenti. |
Elena ha fatto aprire la porta. |
Elena ha fatto aprire la porta a Caterina. |
When either or both of the objects is stated as a pronoun, the object pronoun precedes the conjugated form of the verb fare. In causative constructions, if the indirect object pronoun is loro or Loro, the pronoun must follow the infinitive. Faccio leggere loro i compiti (I make them read the assignments.). Sometimes the exact meaning of the indirect object introduced by the preposition a can be ambiguous. To avoid this ambiguity, the preposition da can be used in place of a to introduce the indirect object.
Hai fatto restituire le chiavi a Mario. |
I had the keys returned to Mario. OR I had Mario return the keys. |
This ambiguity can be cleared up with the preposition da.
Hai fatto restituire le chiavi da Mario. |
I had Mario return the keys. |
Though it may appear awkward, the expression far fare is acceptable and grammatically correct. It can be used to express the action of having something made or done. Faccio fare i compiti ai ragazzi means “I'm having the kids do the homework.”
Common Causative Expressions</h2>
<p>The following list highlights some commonly used causative expressions.</p>
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