{"id":9804,"date":"2015-08-06T12:23:00","date_gmt":"2015-08-06T10:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/?p=9804"},"modified":"2015-08-06T12:23:00","modified_gmt":"2015-08-06T10:23:00","slug":"non-me-lo-posso-permettere-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/non-me-lo-posso-permettere-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Non Me Lo Posso Permettere!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Can you afford it? Te lo puoi permettere?<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Serena and I are not spendaccioni<\/strong> (big spenders), we mostly buy things that are essential to us, with, of course, the occasional indulgence. However, every now and then an expense crops up. For example: in realt\u00e0 ci servirebbe una nuova macchina, per\u00f2 attualmente non ce la possiamo permettere<\/strong> (in reality we probably need a new car, but right now we can\u2019t afford it). This example illustrates how we use the reflexive verb permettersi<\/strong> = to afford it (literally: to permit\/allow oneself)<\/em><\/p>\n

Here are some more examples:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

non mi posso permettere quei pantaloni<\/strong> = I can\u2019t afford those trousers
\nnon vi potete permettere di andare al ristorante tutti i giorni<\/strong> = you (plural) can\u2019t afford to go to the restaurant everyday
\nMarco e Marzia quest\u2019anno non si possono permettere di andare in vacanza all\u2019estero<\/strong> = Marco and Marzia can\u2019t afford to go on holiday abroad this year
\nsei sicura che ti puoi permettere una nuova macchina?<\/strong> = are you sure you can afford a new car?<\/p>\n

However, when the object that we can’t afford has already been mentioned, we simply use the direct object pronouns lo\/la<\/strong> (it), li\/le<\/strong> (them) instead:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

ti piacciono quei pantaloni? S\u00ec, ma non me li posso permettere<\/strong> = do you like those trousers? Yes, but I can\u2019t afford them
\nvuoi comprarti una macchina nuova? sei sicura che te la puoi permettere?<\/strong> = You want to buy yourself a new car? are you sure you can afford it?
\nMarco e Marzia vorrebbero fare una vacanza all\u2019estero ma non se lo possono permettere<\/strong> = Marco and Marzia would like to have a holiday abroad but they can\u2019t afford it<\/p>\n

As in English, the expression permettersi<\/strong> is also used to mean ‘allow or permit oneself to do something’: <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This is well illustrated by the first two lines of the song Non Me Lo Posso Permettere<\/strong> by Italian rapper Caparezza<\/strong>.<\/span>
\nCome medico non posso farmi un tattoo sulla faccia, non me lo posso permettere = <\/strong>As a doctor I can’t have a tattoo on my face, I can’t afford to do it
\ncome donna ho peli sulle gambe e le braccia e non me li posso permettere = <\/strong>as a woman I’ve got hair on my legs and arms, I can’t allow myself it<\/p>\n

Here’s the song in its entirety. I’m not going to translate it all for you, but I guarantee that if you listen to it three or four times you’ll never forget the expression ‘non me lo posso permettere’<\/strong>!<\/p>\n