A motivational Italian phrase that has been circulating on Twitter and other social media platforms along with Andrà tutto bene! (Everything will be ok!) and Io resto a casa! (I’m staying at home!) is #celafaremo (ce la faremo).
Although the literal translation is we will be able to do it / we will manage, the meaning isn’t dissimilar to the English expressions We can do it! or We will get through this!
The phrase, which comes from the verb farcela (to manage or succeed), is made up of three components:
Ce (form of the ‘ci’ particle) + la (it) + faremo (we will do)
Below is the full conjugation of farcela in the future tense:
Ce la farò
Ce la farai
Ce la farà
Ce la faremo
Ce la farete
Ce la faranno
I will be able to do it
You will be able to do it
He/She will be able to do it
We will be able to do it
You (all) will be able to do it
They will be able to do it
Another way of expressing a similar concept in Italian is with the phrase Ce la possiamo fare! The difference is that it incorporates the first person plural form of the verb potere (to be able).
The phrase is a response to the current lockdown in Italy, as the country waits for the number of coronavirus cases to fall. As of today, Italians have been under quarantine for over a month.
Heather Broster is a graduate with honours in linguistics from the University of Western Ontario. She is an aspiring polyglot, proficient in English and Italian, as well as Japanese, Welsh, and French to varying degrees of fluency. Originally from Toronto, Heather has resided in various countries, notably Italy for a period of six years. Her primary focus lies in the fields of language acquisition, education, and bilingual instruction.
