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All the words in bold in the text are pronouns.

Trip planning...

Marina: Andiamo due giorni a Lecce per il tuo compleanno? Io non l’ho mai vista, e tu?

Stefano: Sì, qualche anno fa, ma mi fa piacere visitarla di nuovo con te!

Marina: Che caro! Facciamo così: tu che hai già visto Lecce pensi all’itinerario, io mi occupo di prenotare il treno.

Stefano: D’accordo. Ti propongo questo: la Basilica di Santa Croce, il Duomo e la piazza…poi l’Anfiteatro Romano e Piazza Sant’Oronzo…

Marina: Se ci svegliamo presto e prendiamo il treno delle 7, abbiamo tempo per goderci tutta la giornata a Lecce e girarla in lungo e largo.

Stefano: Alle 7?! Così presto… Povero me!

Marina: Dai! Ti puoi addormentare in treno e ti prometto che non cammineremo tutto il giorno. Allora, prendo i biglietti?

Stefano: Va bene, prendili!

Marina: Ho anche un libro sulla storia di Lecce. Lo porto! Ce lo ha regalato mia zia Agnese, te lo ricordi?

Stefano: Sì, me lo ricordo. Portalo!

Going back home

Stefano: Allora cosa ti è piaciuto di più?

Marina: Senza dubbio la Basilica di Santa Croce. La descrivono tutti come un capolavoro del Barocco e in effetti quando l’ho vista mi ha lasciato senza fiato. La facciata decorata con sculture di angeli, animali e motivi floreali è splendida. Il rosone centrale sembra chiuso in un merletto e all’interno le decorazioni in pietra sono ricchissime. E poi la Piazza del Duomo, gli edifici che la circondano la rendono molto scenografica.

Stefano: Mi mandi le foto che hai fatto?

Marina: Certo te le mando subito. Guarda, ci sono anche quelle fatte al ristorante. Come si chiama il panino che mi hai consigliato?

Stefano: La puccia.

Marina: Guarda che buffa questa foto di te al caffè! Sembri distrutto!

Stefano: Certo! Mi hai fatto camminare tutto il giorno!

Marina: Il caffè leccese però ti è piaciuto molto. Te lo sei bevuto con piacere.

Stefano: Vero! Purtroppo a te non piace il latte di mandorle, non sai cosa ti sei persa!

Marina: Non importa. Sono proprio contenta di avere visitato Lecce, capisco perché l’hanno definita “la signora del Barocco”.

Italian Pronouns

In Italian, pronouns perform different functions in relation to verbs and take different forms depending on their role within the sentence.

Pronouns are classified into simple pronouns such as:

• subject personal pronouns;
• direct object pronouns or direct pronouns;
• indirect object pronouns or indirect pronouns;
• reflexive pronouns.

There are also combined pronouns obtained by joining two different pronouns within a sentence.

Subject personal pronouns

The subject personal pronouns are:

Subject pronouns indicate who performs the verb's action. Their use, both in spoken and written form, is optional. When present, they generally precede the verb, but in most cases, the subject is expressed and clarified by the verb ending:

• (Noi) Viviamo in un appartamento in centro. [(We) Live in an apartment downtown.]
• Di solito (io) lavoro otto ore al giorno. [Usually (I) work eight hours a day.]

Subject personal pronouns are explicitly used in these cases:

• to give particular importance to the subject either before or after the verb;

Lui non ha mai sciato. [He has never skied.]
Vieni anche tu a cena da Simona? [Are you also coming to dinner at Simona's?]

• to highlight a contrast between two or more people.

Io sono italiano, lei è svedese. [I am Italian, she is Swedish.]

Loro hanno finito di studiare; voi non avete ancora iniziato! [They have finished studying; you haven't even started yet!]

Note: It is possible, both in more formal spoken language and in written language, especially less recent texts, to find third-person singular and plural subject personal pronouns in the forms egli, ella, esso, essa, essi, esse.

Direct pronouns

Direct pronouns replace the direct object of the verb. They are used with verbs that answer the questions Chi [Who?], Che cosa [What?]

They function as direct objects.

They agree on gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural) with the noun they replace.

They generally precede the verb.

The direct pronouns in Italian are:

• the pronouns mi, ti, ci, vi replace a person;

Sono davanti al cinema. Mi vedi? [I'm in front of the cinema. Can you see me?]
Sì, ti vedo! [Yes, I see you!]

• the pronouns lo, la, li, le can replace people, things, or animals;

Chiami Egidio per favore? [Can you call Egidio, please?]
Sì, lo chiamo tra poco. (lo = Egidio) [Yes, I'll call him soon.]

Vuoi la torta di noci? [Do you want the walnut cake?]
Sì, la voglio. (la = la torta) [Yes, I want it.]

Devi portare il gatto dal veterinario? [Do you need to take the cat to the vet?]
Lo porto più tardi. (Lo = il gatto) [I'll take him later.]

• the pronouns lo and la can lose their vowel and become l' before words beginning with a vowel. The pronouns li and le, however, do not lose their final vowel;

Ascolti musica rock? [Do you listen to rock music?]
No, non l'ascolto mai. [No, I never listen to it.]

Avvisi tu le tue sorelle, per favore? [Will you notify your sisters, please?]
Sì, le avviso io. [Yes, I'll notify them.]

• the pronoun lo can replace entire sentences;

Sai che Lorenzo ha vinto il concorso? [Do you know that Lorenzo won the competition?]
Sì, lo so. (lo = ha vinto il concorso) [Yes, I know that.]

• if a direct pronoun replaces two nouns of different gender, the masculine plural pronoun li is used;

Hai visto Marco e Marzia? [Have you seen Marco and Marzia?]
Sì, li ho visti ieri. (li = Marco e Marzia) [Yes, I saw them yesterday.]

• for the formal address in singular, the pronoun La is used for both masculine and feminine; for the plural formal address, Vi is used.

Signor Foci, La ringrazio per l'aiuto. [Mr. Foci, I thank you for your help.]
Signora Margherita, La chiamo domani. [Mrs. Margherita, I'll call you tomorrow.]

The position of direct pronouns

Generally, direct pronouns are placed before the verb:

• in affirmative sentences with simple tenses like the present;

Mangio il cioccolato. → Lo mangio. [I eat chocolate. → I eat it.]

• in negative sentences, they follow non and precede the verbs.

Vuoi una tisana allo zenzero? [Do you want a ginger tea?]
No, non la voglio, grazie. [No, I don't want it, thanks.]

When a verb is followed by an infinitive, pronouns can either precede the verbs or follow the infinitive (the infinitive loses its final vowel).

Ti vengo a trovare. ↔ Vengo a trovarti. [I'm coming to visit you. ↔ I'm coming to visit you.]

Non ti posso chiamare. ↔ Non posso chiamarti. [I can't call you. ↔ I can't call you.]

They are placed after and attached to verbs in the direct imperative forms and in the indefinite modes (infinitive, participle, gerund).

È uno spettacolo bellissimo! Guardalo! [It's a beautiful show! Watch it!]

Puoi imparare una poesia a memoria, ripetendola molte volte. [You can learn a poem by heart by repeating it many times.]

They are placed after and attached to the adverb ecco:

Ecco Marilena! → Eccola! [Here's Marilena! → Here she is!]

Direct pronouns with compound tenses

When direct pronouns come before a compound tense like the present perfect (passato prossimo), the past participle changes as follows:

• with direct pronouns lo, la, li, le, the past participle agrees in gender and number with the direct pronoun and ends with the vowels -o, -a, -i, -e:

Hai letto gli articoli che ti ho inviato? [Have you read the articles I sent you?]
No, non li ho ancora letti. [No, I haven't read them yet.]

• before the auxiliary avere, the pronouns lo and la usually become l'; the pronouns li and le do not take the apostrophe.

Questo orologio l'ho comprato un anno fa. [I bought this watch a year ago.]

Giorgio ha invitato Antonia alla festa? [Did Giorgio invite Antonia to the party?]
Sì, l'ha invitata. [Yes, he invited her.]

Dove hai lasciato le chiavi? [Where did you leave the keys?]
Le ho lasciate sopra al tavolo. [I left them on the table.]

• with modal verbs, when the pronoun precedes the verbs, the participle agrees with the pronoun; when the pronouns are attached to the infinitive, the participle remains invariable.

Hai letto le note che ha scritto Giovanna? [Have you read the notes Giovanna wrote?]
No, non le ho potute leggere. [No, I couldn't read them.]
Sì, ho dovuto leggerle attentamente. [Yes, I had to read them carefully.]

• with direct pronouns mi, ti, ci, vi, the agreement between direct pronouns and the past participle is not mandatory.

Abbiamo incontrato Gennaro e non ci ha salutati / non ci ha salutato. [We met Gennaro and he didn't greet us.]
Non vi ho visti! / Non vi ho visto! [I didn't see you!]

Indirect pronouns

Indirect pronouns replace the indirect object of the verb. They are used with verbs that answer the question To whom?

They function as indirect objects.

They replace both people and animals.

They agree in gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural) with the noun they replace.

They generally precede the verb.

The indirect pronouns in Italian are:

• the indirect pronouns mi, ti, ci, vi are the same as direct pronouns; indirect pronouns gli and le never take an apostrophe; the plural pronoun gli is used for both masculine and feminine;

Mi presti una penna? (Mi = a me) [Can you lend me a pen?]

Valentina non viene al cinema, questo film non le interessa. (le = a Valentina) [Valentina isn't coming to the cinema, she's not interested in this film.]

Avete risposto a Letizia e Angela? [Did you answer Letizia and Angela?]
Sì, gli abbiamo risposto. (gli = a Letizia e Angela) [Yes, we answered them.]

• if an indirect pronoun replaces two nouns of different gender, the masculine plural pronoun gli is used;

Avete risposto a Letizia e Valerio? [Did you answer Letizia and Valerio?]
Sì, gli abbiamo risposto. (gli = a Letizia e Valerio) [Yes, we answered them.]

• for the formal address in singular, the third-person pronoun Le is used for both masculine and feminine; for the plural formal address, Vi is used.

Signor Marchi, Le possono chiedere un'informazione? [Mr. Marchi, may I ask you for some information?]

Professoressa, Le scrivo domani. [Professor, I'll write to you tomorrow.]

Note: It is possible to use the pronoun loro as a third-person plural indirect pronoun placed after the verb in more formal spoken and written language.

Ho detto loro di venire a casa nostra. → Gli ho detto di venire a casa nostra. [I told them to come to our house.]

Loro, placed after the verb, is also used in the formal address in very formal contexts.

Signori, riservo Loro un posto in prima classe? → Signori, Vi riservo un posto in prima classe? [Gentlemen, shall I reserve a first-class seat for you?]

The position of indirect pronouns

Generally, indirect pronouns are placed before the verb:

• in affirmative sentences with simple tenses like the present;

Telefoni tu a Saverio? [Will you call Saverio?]
Sì, gli telefono tra poco. [Yes, I'll call him soon.]

• in negative sentences, they follow non and precede the verbs.

Vi piace la birra? [Do you like beer?]
No, non ci piace. [No, we don't like it.]

When a verb is followed by an infinitive, pronouns can either precede the verbs or follow the infinitive (the infinitive loses its final vowel).

Ti devo parlare. ↔ Devo parlarti. [I need to talk to you.]

Mi puoi prestare il tuo libro? ↔ Puoi prestarmi il tuo libro? [Can you lend me your book?]

They are placed after and attached to verbs in the direct imperative forms and in the indefinite modes (infinitive, participle, gerund).

Parlagli! [Talk to him!]

Ti consiglio di darle ascolto, Luisa è molto preparata. [I advise you to listen to her, Luisa is very knowledgeable.]

Indirect pronouns with compound tenses

When indirect pronouns are used with a compound tense like the present perfect (passato prossimo), the past participle remains invariable. Indirect pronouns are placed before the auxiliary avere:

• Ho mandato un messaggio ad Alessio e gli ho scritto tutta la verità. [I sent a message to Alessio and I wrote him the whole truth.]
• Ho chiamato Elisa e le ho chiesto di tornare a casa. [I called Elisa and asked her to come home.]
• Beatrice mi ha chiesto gli appunti e le ho dovuto dare il mio quaderno. [Beatrice asked me for the notes and I had to give her my notebook.]
  ↔ Beatrice mi ha chiesto gli appunti e ho dovuto darle il mio quaderno. [Beatrice asked me for the notes and I had to give her my notebook.]

Stressed direct and indirect pronouns

In addition to the forms seen previously called unstressed forms (forme atone), in Italian, direct and indirect pronouns have a stressed form (forma tonica):

They are generally placed after verbs.

Stressed pronouns are used to give particular emphasis to the pronoun:

Stefano cerca me, non te. [Stefano is looking for me, not you.]

Puoi dare il mio numero a lei. [You can give my number to her.]

They are always used after a preposition:

Vuoi venire a pranzo con noi? [Do you want to come to lunch with us?]

Questo regalo è per voi. [This gift is for you.]

Stressed pronouns are also used in some constructions:

• after come and quanto;

Sei come me! [You are like me!]
Non sono bravo quanto te! [I'm not as good as you!]

• in exclamatory forms povero me!, beato te!

Ho perso di nuovo l'autobus. Povero me! [I missed the bus again. Poor me!]

Hai già finito i compiti? Beato te! [You've already finished your homework? Lucky you!]

Sometimes stressed pronouns are followed by stesso which reinforces the pronoun: e.g.

Pensi sempre e solo a te stesso! [You always think only about yourself!]

Attention! Stressed forms of indirect pronouns are placed before the verb with verbs like piacere, sembrare, servire: e.g. A noi piace camminare, a loro piace correre. [We like walking, they like running.]

Note: Io e te, tu e io!

In Italian, the correct form is tu e io, with subject pronouns. However, in spoken language, the construction io e te is very common and now widely used: e.g., Io e te abbiamo tanto da fare! [You and I have a lot to do!]

How to use direct and indirect pronouns

You need to consider the verb to understand how to use direct and indirect pronouns.

In Italian, some verbs are used only with direct pronouns, others only with indirect pronouns. Some verbs are used with both direct and indirect pronouns.

• Verbs used only with direct pronouns take a direct object and answer the questions Who?, What? These are verbs like aiutare (to help), amare (to love), aspettare (to wait), baciare (to kiss), conoscere (to know), guardare (to look at), vedere (to see), ascoltare (to listen), sentire (to hear).

Aiuti tu Livio con i compiti? (chi aiuti? → Livio) [Are you helping Livio with his homework? (who are you helping? → Livio)]
Certo, lo aiuto volentieri! [Sure, I'll gladly help him!]

Guardi le serie tv? (che cosa guardi? → le serie tv) [Do you watch TV series? (what do you watch? → TV series)]
Sì, di solito le guardo. [Yes, I usually watch them.]

• Verbs used only with indirect pronouns take an indirect object and are followed by the preposition a. They answer the question To whom? These are verbs like telefonare (to call), piacere (to like), credere (to believe), rispondere (to answer), volere bene (to love) followed by the preposition a:

Telefoni tu a Gabriele? (a chi telefoni*?* → a Gabriele) [Will you call Gabriele? (to whom will you call? → to Gabriele)]
Sì, gli telefono domani. [Yes, I'll call him tomorrow.]

• Verbs that can be used with both direct and indirect pronouns answer both the questions Who?, What? and the question To whom? These are verbs like scrivere (to write), dare (to give), comprare (to buy), regalare (to gift), dire (to say). You use a direct or indirect pronoun depending on the function you want to express in the sentence.

Scriviamo un messaggio a Fabio? → Lo scriviamo a Fabio. (che cosa? → un messaggio) [Shall we write a message to Fabio? → We'll write it to Fabio. (what? → a message)]

Emiliano scrive un'e-mail a Lorena. → Le scrive un'email. (a chi? → a Lorena) [Emiliano writes an email to Lorena. → He writes her an email. (to whom? → to Lorena)]

Reflexive pronouns

Reflexive pronouns indicate that the action performed by the subject falls back on the subject itself. They agree with the subject performing the action.

The reflexive pronouns are:

Reflexive pronouns are used:

• with some verbs that normally have a direct object and that, when used with reflexive pronouns, indicate that the action falls back on the subject performing it, such as lavarsi (to wash oneself), vestirsi (to dress oneself), prepararsi (to prepare oneself), pettinarsi (to comb oneself);

Michele si veste sempre in modo elegante. [Michele always dresses himself elegantly.]

• with verbs that indicate a reciprocal action between two or more people, such as incontrarsi (to meet each other), salutarsi (to greet each other), sposarsi (to marry each other);

Martino e Rachele si sposano l'anno prossimo! [Martino and Rachele are getting married next year!]

• with some verbs followed by a direct object to emphasize and personalize the action expressed by the verb, such as mangiarsi un panino (to eat a sandwich), bersi un caffè (to drink a coffee);

Oggi mi mangio un panino! [Today, I'm going to eat myself a sandwich!]

• with some verbs that, in their structure, are always accompanied by reflexive pronouns, such as chiamarsi (to be called), arrabbiarsi (to get angry), commuoversi (to be moved).

Mi chiamo Caterina. [My name is Caterina.]

The position of reflexive pronouns

Generally, reflexive pronouns are placed before the verb:

• in affirmative sentences with simple tenses like the present;

Giulio si sveglia sempre stanco. [Giulio always wakes up tired.]

• in negative sentences, they follow non and precede the verbs.

Non ti arrabbi mai! [You never get angry!]

When there is a modal verb followed by a reflexive infinitive, reflexive pronouns can either precede the verbs or follow the infinitive (the infinitive loses its final vowel).

Mi devo svegliare presto. ↔ Devo svegliarmi presto. [I have to wake up early.]

Ci dobbiamo preparare per la festa. ↔ Dobbiamo prepararci per la festa. [We have to get ready for the party.]

They are placed after and attached to verbs in the direct imperative forms and the indefinite modes (infinitive, participle, gerund).

Vergognati! [Shame on you!]

Arrabbiandoti meno, sarai più sereno. [By getting angry less, you will be more serene.]

Reflexive pronouns with compound tenses

Reflexive verbs form compound tenses with the auxiliary essere. Reflexive pronouns are always placed before the auxiliary essere and the past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject of the verb:

• Michela si è alzata tardi. [Michela got up late.]
• Antonio si è vestito in fretta. [Antonio got dressed in a hurry.]

With modal verbs, when the pronoun precedes the verbs, the auxiliary essere is used and the past participle agrees with the subject; when the pronoun is attached to the reflexive infinitive, the auxiliary avere is used and the past participle remains invariable.

• Mi sono dovuta svegliare presto. ↔ Ho dovuto svegliarmi presto. [I had to wake up early.]
• Ci siamo dovuti preparare per la festa. ↔ Abbiamo dovuto prepararci per la festa. [We had to get ready for the party.]

Summary table of pronouns

Combined pronouns

Combined pronouns are formed by joining an indirect pronoun or a reflexive pronoun with the direct pronouns lo, la, li, le in this way:

For the formation of combined pronouns, some rules must be followed:

• direct pronouns always follow reflexive and indirect pronouns;

• indirect and reflexive pronouns mi, ti, ci, vi, si change their vowel and become me, te, ce, ve, se. Direct pronouns remain separate;

Mi presti il tuo libro di chimica? [Can you lend me your chemistry book?]
Certo, te lo presto volentieri. (indirect pronoun + direct pronoun) [Sure, I'll gladly lend it to you.]

Gianni si lava le mani. → Se le lava. (reflexive pronoun + direct pronoun) [Gianni washes his hands. → He washes them.]

• third-person singular and plural indirect pronouns form the combined pronoun only from the pronoun gli. They become a single word by adding an e between gli and the direct pronoun in the forms glielo, gliela, glieli, gliele.

Puoi mandare una e-mail a Livio? [Can you send an email to Livio?]
Sì, gliela mando subito. [Yes, I'll send it to him right away.]

Lasci tu a Veronica i soldi per la spesa? [Will you leave the money for shopping to Veronica?]
Sì, glieli lascio io. [Yes, I'll leave them to her.]

• for the formal address, the forms of the combined pronoun with gli are used in the singular, and the forms of the combined pronouns with vi are used in the plural.

Mi chiama il Dottor Mengalli? [Could you call Dr. Mengalli for me?]
Glielo chiamo subito. [I'll call him right away.]

Può inviarci le nostre carte d'imbarco? [Can you send us our boarding passes?]
Certo, Ve le mando immediatamente. [Of course, I'll send them to you immediately.]

The position of combined pronouns

Generally, combined pronouns are placed before the verb:

• in affirmative sentences with simple tenses like the present;

Ci scrivi il tuo indirizzo? [Will you write your address to us?]
Sì, ve lo scrivo in chat. [Yes, I'll write it to you in the chat.]

• in negative sentences, they follow non and precede the verbs.

Mi lasci il tuo cane, oggi? [Will you leave your dog with me today?]
No, non te lo lascio. [No, I won't leave him with you.]

When an infinitive follows a verb, combined pronouns can either precede the verbs or follow the infinitive (the infinitive loses its final vowel).

Antonella mi vuole regalare la sua collana. [Antonella wants to give me her necklace.]
→ Me la vuole regalare. ↔ Vuole regalarmela. [She wants to give it to me.]

Puoi inviare un messaggio a Renato? [Can you send a message to Renato?]
Certo, glielo posso inviare. ↔ Certo, posso inviarglielo. [Sure, I can send it to him.]

They are placed after and attached to verbs in a single word in the direct imperative forms and the indefinite modes (infinitive, participle, gerund).

Non conosciamo questa storia. Raccontacela! [We don't know this story. Tell it to us!]

Ripetendovelo più volte, capirete. [By repeating it to you several times, you will understand.]

Combined pronouns with compound tenses

When combined pronouns are used with a compound tense like the present perfect (passato prossimo):

• the past participle agrees in gender and number with the direct pronoun;

Questi fiori te li ha portati Antonella. [Antonella brought these flowers to you.]

Queste scarpe me le ha prestate Carlo. [Carlo lent these shoes to me.]

• lo and la become l' before the auxiliary avere; li and le do not take the apostrophe;

Questa maglietta me l’ha regalata Giulio. [Giulio gave this T-shirt to me.]

• glielo and gliela behave like lo and la and become gliel' before the auxiliary avere. Glieli and gliele remain invariable.

Hai inviato il messaggio a Marcello? [Did you send the message to Marcello?]
No, non gliel'ho ancora inviato. [No, I haven't sent it to him yet.]

With modal verbs and reflexive verbs, when the pronouns precede the verbs, the auxiliary essere is used, and the past participle agrees with the direct pronoun; when the pronoun is attached to the reflexive infinitive, the auxiliary avere is used, and the past participle remains invariable.

Avevo le mani sporche e me le sono dovute lavare. [My hands were dirty and I had to wash them.]
↔ Avevo le mani sporche e ho dovuto lavarmele. [My hands were dirty and I had to wash them.]