What does “farcela” mean?
Are you learning Italian and confused by the verb “farcela”? Don’t worry, this common expression is simpler than it looks!
“Farcela” essentially means “to manage,” “to succeed,” or “to be able to do it.” It expresses the idea of overcoming a challenge or completing something difficult.
In short
- Farcela means “to make it”, “to manage”, “to cope”.
- Present: ce la faccio, ce la fai, ce la fa… Past: ce l’ho fatta (I made it!).
- Add a + infinitive to say what you manage to do: Non ce la faccio a finire.
- Non ce la faccio più = I can’t take it anymore.
- Dai, ce la puoi fare! = Come on, you can do it!
How to use “farcela”
This verb is actually a combination of three elements:
- “fare” (to do/make)
- “ce” (there/it)
- “la” (it/that)
These types of verbs are known as pronominal verbs in Italian (like andarsene, prendersela, cavarsela, etc.). They combine a base verb with pronouns to create new meanings.
Conjugation in Present Tense
The pronouns ce la never change. When you conjugate, only the “fare” part changes:
| Italian | English | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Ce la faccio | I can do it | I manage/succeed |
| Ce la fai | You can do it | You manage/succeed |
| Ce la fa | He/She can do it | He/She manages/succeeds |
| Ce la facciamo | We can do it | We manage/succeed |
| Ce la fate | You all can do it | You all manage/succeed |
| Ce la fanno | They can do it | They manage/succeed |
Conjugation in Past Tense (Passato Prossimo)
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Translation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Io (I) | Ce l’ho fatta | I made it / I succeeded | I managed to do it |
| Tu (You) | Ce l’hai fatta | You made it / You succeeded | You managed to do it |
| Lui/Lei (He/She) | Ce l’ha fatta | He/She made it / He/She succeeded | He/She managed to do it |
| Noi (We) | Ce l’abbiamo fatta | We made it / We succeeded | We managed to do it |
| Voi (You all) | Ce l’avete fatta | You all made it / You all succeeded | You all managed to do it |
| Loro (They) | Ce l’hanno fatta | They made it / They succeeded | They managed to do it |
Examples in Everyday Conversation
- “Non ce la faccio a finire tutto il lavoro oggi“
(I can’t manage to finish all the work today) - “Ce la farai ad arrivare in tempo?“
(Will you manage to arrive on time?) - “Dai, ce la puoi fare!“
(Come on, you can do it!) - “Finalmente ce l’ho fatta!“
(Finally, I managed to do it!)
Common Expressions with “Farcela”
- Non ce la faccio più → I can’t take it anymore / I can’t handle it anymore
- Ce la possiamo fare → We can make it happen / We can do it
- Farcela per un pelo → To just barely make it / To scrape through
- Non farcela proprio → To really not be able to manage / To fail completely
- Ce la faremo! → We’ll make it! / We’ll succeed
Farcela a + infinitive
To say what you manage (or don’t manage) to do, add a + infinitive:
- Ce la fai a venire stasera? → Can you make it tonight?
- Non ce l’ho fatta a finire il libro. → I didn’t manage to finish the book.
- Ce la farò a passare l’esame! → I’ll manage to pass the exam!
See it in a real conversation
The day of the Rome marathon.
Anna: Marco, sei sicuro? Sono 42 chilometri!
Marco: Tranquilla, ce la faccio. Mi sono allenato per sei mesi.
(Quattro ore dopo)
Marco: Ce l’ho fatta! Però adesso non ce la faccio più a camminare…
Anna: Bravissimo! Dai, ce la fai ad arrivare fino al bar? Ti offro un caffè.
Anna: Marco, are you sure? It’s 42 kilometers!
Marco: Don’t worry, I can do it. I’ve trained for six months.
(Four hours later)
Marco: I made it! But now I can’t walk anymore…
Anna: Well done! Come on, can you make it to the café? Coffee’s on me.
Frequently asked questions
What does farcela mean in Italian?
Farcela means “to make it”, “to manage” or “to cope”. It’s a pronominal verb made of fare + ce + la: Ce la faccio (I can make it), Ce l’ho fatta (I made it).
What does “non ce la faccio più” mean?
It means “I can’t take it anymore” or “I can’t go on”. Italians use it when they are exhausted, fed up or overwhelmed.
How do you say “I made it” in Italian?
Say “Ce l’ho fatta!”. It’s the passato prossimo of farcela: ce l’hai fatta, ce l’ha fatta, ce l’abbiamo fatta.
How do you say “you can do it” in Italian?
Say “Ce la puoi fare!” or simply “Ce la fai!”. With friends you’ll often hear “Dai, ce la puoi fare!” (Come on, you can do it!).
Practice with my stories
Ce l’ho fatta, non ce la faccio più: my characters use expressions like these all the time, because real life is full of small challenges. Reading them in context is the best way to remember them:
Due Amiche e un Album di Fotografie
Level A1
Two friends, an old photo album and lots of everyday Italian.
