Farcela and Andarsene: Italian Phrasal Verbs That Drive Learners Crazy
Italian has a set of compound verbs formed by attaching the particles 'ci' and 'ne' to ordinary verbs, changing their meaning entirely. Two of the most common — farcela (to manage, to cope) and andarsene (to go away, to leave) — appear constantly in everyday speech. They confuse learners because they look like the verb has sprouted extra syllables that follow it around. Once you understand the logic, they become second nature.
Farcela is built from fare (to do/make) + ci (particle expressing 'it,' implying an effort or task) + la (direct object, 'it'). Together, farcela means 'to manage it,' 'to be able to do it,' 'to handle it,' or 'to cope.' It is always used reflexively — the ci and la stay attached as a unit — and it is conjugated through fare.
Farcela — Present Tense Conjugation
| Person | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| io | ce la faccio | I can manage it / I can do it |
| tu | ce la fai | you can manage it |
| lui/lei | ce la fa | he/she can manage it |
| noi | ce la facciamo | we can manage it |
| voi | ce la fate | you (plural) can manage it |
| loro | ce la fanno | they can manage it |
Notice how the particle splits: 'ce la' goes before the conjugated verb. This is the key pattern. When you use farcela with modal verbs or in compound tenses, the 'ce la' still goes before the conjugated part, but 'fare' becomes the infinitive or the past participle. The particle never fuses permanently with the verb form.
Farcela in Different Tenses
Ce la faccio!
I can do it! / I'll manage!
Non ce la faccio più.
I can't take it anymore / I can't go on.
Ce l'hai fatta!
You did it! / You managed! (passato prossimo)
Non ce la facevo con tutto quel rumore.
I couldn't cope with all that noise. (imperfetto)
Penso che ce la faremo.
I think we'll manage. (futuro)
Vuoi che ce la faccia da solo?
Do you want me to manage it alone?
The passato prossimo of farcela requires special attention: 'ce l'ho fatta' (I managed it). Notice that 'la' becomes 'l'' before the auxiliary avere, and the past participle 'fatto' agrees with 'la' (feminine) — giving 'fatta.' This agreement is a consistent rule: since 'la' precedes the auxiliary, the past participle must agree with it.
Farcela — Passato Prossimo
| Person | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| io | ce l'ho fatta | I managed it |
| tu | ce l'hai fatta | you managed it |
| lui/lei | ce l'ha fatta | he/she managed it |
| noi | ce l'abbiamo fatta | we managed it |
| voi | ce l'avete fatta | you managed it |
| loro | ce l'hanno fatta | they managed it |
Andarsene is built from andare (to go) + si (reflexive, matched to person) + ne (particle meaning 'away from here' or 'of/about it'). Together, andarsene means 'to go away,' 'to leave,' 'to get out of here.' It is more emphatic than the plain 'andare' — it implies leaving a particular place or situation definitively.
Andarsene — Present Tense Conjugation
| Person | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| io | me ne vado | I'm leaving / I'm going away |
| tu | te ne vai | you're leaving |
| lui/lei | se ne va | he/she is leaving |
| noi | ce ne andiamo | we're leaving |
| voi | ve ne andate | you're leaving |
| loro | se ne vanno | they're leaving |
The reflexive pronoun changes to match the person (me, te, se, ce, ve, se), and the particle 'ne' stays constant. The conjugated verb is always andare in its normal forms. This structure — reflexive + ne + conjugated andare — is easy to spot once you know what you are looking at.
Andarsene in Context
Me ne vado, ci vediamo domani.
I'm heading off, see you tomorrow.
Se n'è andato senza salutare.
He left without saying goodbye. (passato prossimo)
Andiamocene prima che arrivi!
Let's get out of here before he arrives! (imperative)
Non te ne andare ancora!
Don't leave yet!
Se ne vanno sempre troppo presto.
They always leave too early.
In the passato prossimo, andarsene uses essere as the auxiliary (because andare takes essere). The past participle 'andato' agrees in gender and number with the subject: 'se n'è andato' (he left), 'se n'è andata' (she left), 'se ne sono andati' (they left — masc.), 'se ne sono andate' (they left — fem.).
Andarsene — Passato Prossimo Agreement
Marco se n'è andato.
Marco left.
Giulia se n'è andata.
Giulia left.
I ragazzi se ne sono andati.
The boys left.
Me ne sono andato prima della fine.
I left before the end.
Both verbs in natural conversation
A: Dai, ce la fai! B: Non ce la faccio più, me ne vado.
A: Come on, you can do it! B: I can't take it any more, I'm leaving.
Ce l'hanno fatta — sono usciti dall'ospedale.
They made it — they got out of hospital.
Se ne sono andati senza aspettarci.
They left without waiting for us.
Non so se ce la farò con tutto questo lavoro.
I don't know if I'll manage with all this work.
Think of 'ce la' (in farcela) and 'me/te/se/ce/ve ne' (in andarsene) as glue words that must travel together with their pronoun partners. They always appear directly before the conjugated verb. In infinitive constructions they fuse onto the end of the infinitive: 'non riesco a farcela' (I can't manage it), 'voler andarsene' (to want to leave). Other Italian phrasal verbs follow similar logic: cavarsela (to get by, to manage), mettersela via (to forget it, to let it go), togliersi dai piedi (to get out of the way). Once you understand the particle system, each new verb clicks into place.
2,500+ free exercises are waiting for you.
Start practising free →