What does “spuntarla” mean?

Briefly: “spuntarla” means to win, to have the upper hand, to succeed in getting what one wants or to overcome a difficult situation.

Recently, during one of my lessons, we came across the verb spuntarla in a literary text. At first glance, it might seem like a variation of the verb spuntare, but in reality, its meaning is completely different. This was the perfect opportunity to dive into verbi pronominali—verbs that, with the addition of pronominal particles, take on a new and often idiomatic meaning. In this article, we’ll explore the difference between spuntare and spuntarla, look at all the meanings of this pronominal verb, and go through practical examples to help you use it correctly.

The verb spuntare and its meanings

Before diving deeper into spuntarla, it’s useful to look at spuntare on its own, as it has multiple literal meanings. Unlike its pronominal form, spuntare is a regular verb that can be used in different contexts, often referring to physical changes or actions. Here are its main meanings:

1. To sprout, to grow
   • Le piante stanno spuntando in giardino.
     (The plants are sprouting in the garden.)
2. To emerge, to appear suddenly
   • Dal nulla è spuntato un gatto nero.
     (Out of nowhere, a black cat appeared.)
3. To trim, to slightly cut the ends of something
   • Mi sono fatto spuntare i capelli.
     (I had my hair trimmed.)
4. To tick off something from a list
   • Ho spuntato tutti i compiti dalla lista.
     (I ticked off all the tasks from the list.)

As you can see, spuntare has a variety of meanings depending on the context. However, when transformed into spuntarla, it takes on an entirely new, idiomatic meaning—one that we’ll now explore in detail. Let’s start by explaining what pronominal verbs are.

What are verbi pronominali?

Verbi pronominali are verbs that incorporate pronouns (mi, ti, se, la, ne, etc.), often taking on idiomatic meanings that go beyond their literal interpretation.

One of the challenges in learning verbi pronominali is that they often cannot be translated literally in English. Their meaning depends on context, and translating them literally can lead to confusion. For example, farcela means “to manage” or “to succeed,” but breaking it down into fare (to do/make) and ce la doesn’t make sense on its own. Similarly, cavarsela means “to get by” or “to handle a situation,” and sentirsela expresses the willingness or courage to do something.

To learn the most common pronominal verbs in Italian, read the article below.

The pronominal verb spuntarla

Unlike spuntare, which has multiple literal meanings (such as “to sprout”, “to appear”, “to trim” and so on), spuntarla is a pronominal verb with an idiomatic meaning. It is formed by combining spuntare with the pronoun la, which refers to an implied vittoria (victory) or situazione (situation). This structure gives spuntarla the sense of overcoming a challenge or achieving success.

Meanings of spuntarla

1. To win, to have the upper hand (averla vinta, vincere)

La partita è stata combattuta fino all’ultimo minuto, ma alla fine la nostra squadra l’ha spuntata!
(The match was hard-fought until the last minute, but in the end, our team won!)

C’erano molti candidati per quel posto di lavoro, ma alla fine l’ha spuntata lei.
(There were many candidates for that job, but in the end, she won!)

2. To succeed in getting what one wants (riuscire a ottenere ciò che si vuole)
   • Al mercato ha mercanteggiato così a lungo che ha ottenuto lo sconto che voleva. L’ha spuntata lui.
     (At the market, he haggled for so long that he got the discount he wanted. He was the one who won in the end.)
   • Il ragazzo ha discusso a lungo con sua madre e alla fine lei gli ha permesso di tornare tardi. L’ha spuntata lui!
     (The boy argued with his mother for a long time, and in the end, she let him come back late. He won in the end!)
3. To overcome a difficult situation (superare una situazione difficile)
   • L’esame era molto difficile e temeva di non farcela, ma alla fine l’ha spuntata!
     (The exam was very difficult, and he feared he wouldn’t make it, but in the end, he pulled through!)
   • La partita è stata combattuta fino all’ultimo minuto, ma alla fine la nostra squadra l’ha spuntata!
     (The match was hard-fought until the last minute, but in the end, our team won!)

Grammar Note

In compound tenses, spuntarla is always used with avere, but the past participle agrees with la, so it has to agree with it in the feminine:
✅ L’ho spuntata! (I managed to succeed!)
❌ L’ho spuntato! (incorrect)