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Can someone explain why we are using "ce" in "ce la faccio", for example? Why isn't it enough to use "la faccio"? I think it should be that way since "la" indicates "it". Would love to understand the use of "ce" more profoundly.

Charo
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LoveIsHere
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    Have you seen these similar questions? [1] and [2] – DaG Mar 16 '20 at 08:46
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    Yes but they did not address why "ce" is in use. Another example is "ce l'hai", not necessarily "farcela". Why "ce"? And how to memorise or know when to use it? – LoveIsHere Mar 16 '20 at 11:59
  • @LoveIsHere: Do you mean "ce" instead of "ci"? Or simply why is this pronominal particle in use in these expressions? – Charo Mar 16 '20 at 12:19
  • Why do we use ce/ci + lo/li if it seems like they have the same meaning? – LoveIsHere Mar 16 '20 at 12:21
  • Ce = it. Lo = it. – LoveIsHere Mar 16 '20 at 12:29
  • @LoveIsHere: "Farcela" and "avercela" (by the way, it's "la" and not "lo") are examples of what are called "verbi pronominali", which are part of the so called "verbi polirematici", something which in some sense is similar to English phrasal verbs: these are crystallised espressions that you have to memorise and sometimes it's very difficult to explain the meaning of their constituents. – Charo Mar 16 '20 at 15:52
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    @Charo. Ok Thank you. I will read more about it. It is good to know it is more of a phrase and not very explainable... – LoveIsHere Mar 16 '20 at 16:46
  • The use of "ce" can be hard to understand for a foreigner because it can be used both as a "proper" pronoun and as part of a pronominal verbs. For example, depending on context, "ce l'hai" can mean "you have it" (e.g. "mi serve un cacciavite, ce l'hai?" = "I need a screwdriver; do you have it?") or "you are mad at someone" ("Ti ho sentito urlare, con chi ce l'hai?" = "I heard you shouting; to whom are you mad?"). Similarly, "ce la fai" can mean both "you make it to/for us" or "you succeed in something". – secan Mar 13 '21 at 22:29

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The clitic pronoun ci carries the “there” meaning, which implies the directionality towards which the action is directed. The phrase ce la faccio doesn’t carry the meaning of la faccio —i. e. farla— by itself, since the verb farcela was grammaticalized, just like pronominal verbs like divertirsi. It was not inherited from Latin, but chances are that its “directionality” was derived from Neapolitan. Same situation happens with avercela [con qc], which is entirely grammaticalized and, thus, it is not divisible or cannot be rephrased simply as averla [con qc].

Grammaticalized pronominal verbs occurred, too, in Spanish, for instance: pasarla [adv.], whose meaning is absolutely different to that of pasar.

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