farla franca
To say "get away with it" in Italian, use farla franca, meaning to escape punishment after doing something wrong.
farla franca is used when someone avoids the consequences of a misdeed, from a small prank to a real crime.
What does it mean word for word?
The idiom combines the verb fare (to do), the pronoun la (it) and the adjective franca (free or unpunished). Literally it means "to make it free".
Which one should you use?
Cavarsela is a related informal verb. It can also mean getting away with something, but it often just means managing or getting by in a difficult situation.
How does it change in a sentence?
The pronoun la is fixed in the idiom and never changes to a masculine form. The verb is conjugated as normal, so in the past the phrase becomes forms like fatta franca. A reflexive version, farsela franca, is also common.
Did you know?
- The word franca in this phrase comes from the same root as 'Frank', referring to the ancient Germanic people. In medieval Europe, the Franks held a privileged status that often exempted them from certain taxes and legal burdens.
- While 'getting away with it' is often a sneaky or dishonest act, the use of the word franca (straight/honest) creates a linguistic irony. It describes a dishonest escape using a word that normally implies being open and direct.
- If you want to describe a more physical sense of 'getting out of a mess', you might use the verb cavarsela, which literally translates to 'to dig oneself out'.
Examples in context
- Cosa ti ha fatto pensare che l'avresti fatta franca?What made you think you'd get away with it?l'avresti fatta franca is the conditional past form, meaning "you would have gotten away with it".
- Speriamo che non escano indenni da questa truffa.We hope they don't get away with this fraud.
- Sei proprio bravo a cavartela con le bugie!You're really good at getting away with lies!
- Non pensi che potrà farla franca?Don't you think he'll get away with it?
- Non pensa di farla franca così facilmente.He doesn't think he'll get away with it so easily.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry farla franca, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
