Pronouns
Two headlines: subject pronouns are usually dropped (the verb ending already says who), and object pronouns are clitics — little unstressed words that stand right before the verb.
Subject pronouns — for emphasis only
| io | I | noi |
| tu | you (informal) | voi |
| lui / lei | he / she | loro |
| Lei | you (formal, takes 3rd-person verb) |
Parlo italiano — no io needed. Add it only for contrast: Io parlo, tu ascolti. Formal address: Lei to one person you'd call by surname; voi to any group (there is no everyday formal plural — unlike French vous doing both jobs).
Object clitics — before the conjugated verb
| person | direct (me, him…) | indirect (to me, to him…) |
|---|---|---|
| me | mi | mi |
| you | ti | ti |
| him / it (m) | lo | gli |
| her / it (f) / you-formal | la | le |
| us | ci | ci |
| you pl. | vi | vi |
| them (m / f) | li / le | gli (spoken; loro after the verb is formal) |
Lo vedo. (I see him/it) · Le scrivo. (I write to her) · Non ti sento. (I can't hear you)
Position: before a finite verb, attached to the end of an infinitive, gerund, or informal imperative: Voglio vederlo (or Lo voglio vedere — both fine), Dimmi!, Scrivile!
Combined forms: me lo, te la…
Indirect + direct together; the indirect one changes its vowel to e:
| + lo | + la | + li | + le | + ne | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mi → | me lo | me la | me li | me le | me ne |
| ti → | te lo | te la | te li | te le | te ne |
| gli / le → | glielo | gliela | glieli | gliele | gliene |
| ci → | ce lo | ce la | ce li | ce le | ce ne |
Me lo dai? (Will you give it to me?) · Glielo dico. (I'll tell him/her.)
ci and ne — the two little words English lacks
- ci = "there / to it": Vai a Roma? — Ci vado domani. Also in c'è / ci sono (there is / are) and pensarci (think about it).
- ne = "of it / of them / from there": Quanti figli hai? — Ne ho due. (I have two of them — obligatory in Italian.) Che ne pensi? (What do you think of it?)
Both work like French y and en; Spanish has no equivalent — Spanish speakers, this is your new grammar.
Stressed forms — after prepositions
me, te, lui, lei, noi, voi, loro: con me, per te, secondo lui. Also for emphasis: Cercano te, non me.
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