Pronouns

Pronouns stand in for nouns, so you don’t have to repeat them. Italian has a different set for each job: the subject, the direct object, the indirect object, reflexive verbs, and after prepositions. The small object pronouns also have a fixed place in the sentence, which is different from English.

Subject Pronouns

The verb ending already shows the subject, so these are usually left out: Sono stanco. - I’m tired. Use them for emphasis or contrast: Pago io. - I’ll pay.

Lei (often written with a capital L) is the polite "you" for strangers, and it uses the same verb form as lui and lei: Come sta? - How are you? Io is never capitalized unless it starts a sentence.

Direct Object Pronouns

A direct object receives the action: "I see him", "I know it".

• Conosci Marco? Sì, lo conosco. - Do you know Marco? Yes, I know him.
• Dov’è la chiave? Non la trovo. - Where’s the key? I can’t find it.
• Ti amo. - I love you.

Before a vowel or h, lo and la usually become l': L’ho visto. - I saw him.

Indirect Object Pronouns

An indirect object is the person you do something to or for: "I give him a book", "I write to her".

• Gli scrivo domani. - I’ll write to him tomorrow (or: to them).
• Le ho detto la verità. - I told her the truth.
• Mi dai il telefono? - Will you give me the phone?

In speech, gli is used for "to them". In formal writing you may also see loro after the verb: Ho detto loro la verità.

Where Object Pronouns Go

Object pronouns go directly before the conjugated verb, and non goes before them.

• Lo vedo. - I see him.
• Non lo vedo. - I don’t see him.
• Ti chiamo stasera. - I’ll call you tonight.

With an infinitive, the pronoun attaches to the end, and the infinitive drops its final -e:

• Voglio vederlo. - I want to see him.
• È bello conoscerti. - It’s nice to meet you.

After volere, potere and dovere you can also put the pronoun first: Lo voglio vedere means the same as Voglio vederlo.

Pronouns in the Present Perfect

In the present perfect, the pronoun goes before the helping verb: Ti ho chiamato. - I called you.

When the pronoun is lo, la, li or le, the past participle matches it:

• Hai visto Anna? Sì, l’ho vista. - Did you see Anna? Yes, I saw her.
• Hai visto i ragazzi? Sì, li ho visti. - Did you see the boys? Yes, I saw them.
• Hai comprato le scarpe? Sì, le ho comprate. - Did you buy the shoes? Yes, I bought them.

Li and le never shorten to l'. Indirect pronouns don’t change the participle: Le ho parlato. - I spoke to her.

Reflexive Pronouns

Reflexive pronouns are used when the subject does something to itself. In Italian many everyday verbs are reflexive, even when English doesn’t use "myself".

• Mi chiamo Anna. - My name is Anna (literally, I call myself Anna).
• Come ti chiami? - What’s your name?
• Ci vediamo domani. - See you tomorrow (literally, we’ll see each other).

Reflexive verbs take essere in the present perfect: Mi sono preoccupata. - I got worried (a woman speaking).

Pronouns After Prepositions

After a preposition such as con, per, di or a, use the stressed forms. Most are the same as the subject pronouns, except me and te.

• Vieni con me? - Are you coming with me?
• Questo è per te. - This is for you.
• Parlo di lui. - I’m talking about him.

You also use these alone or for emphasis: Chi, io? No, lui! - Who, me? No, him! A me piace. - I like it (as for me).

Possessive Pronouns

"Mine", "yours" and so on use the same words as "my", "your", usually with the article. They match the thing owned, not the owner.

• La mia macchina è rossa, la tua è nera. - My car is red, yours is black.

After essere the article is often dropped: Questo libro è mio. - This book is mine. See the Possessives guide for the plural forms.