Italian 2.5. Object Personal Pronouns

Object personal pronouns in Italian can be divided into three classes: prepositional, direct, and indirect object pronouns.

Prepositional Object Pronouns

Prepositional object pronouns come after a preposition, such as “di” (of, from, or about), “con” (with), “in” (in), “senza” (without), etc. They are the same as subject pronouns except in the first- and second-person singular cases.

Reflexive Prepositional Pronouns

The reflexive prepositional pronouns are a special case of the prepositional object pronouns, such as “myself,” “yourself,” “himself,” etc. This is used when the subject and the object pronoun refer to the same person.

More often than not, the reflexive prepositional object pronoun is followed by the adjective “stesso,” “stessa,” “stessi,” or “stesse,” meaning “same” for emphasis.

For example, in the expression “Parlo di me stesso,” meaning “I speak about myself,” the adjective “stesso” is added to emphasize that one is speaking about himself. The expression “Parlo di me” has the same meaning but without the emphasis.

Note that “se” can mean “himself,” “herself,” “itself,” “yourself” (formal singular), “themselves,” or “yourselves” (formal plural), depending on the subject that it refers to.

Direct and Indirect Object Pronouns

The second and third classes of object pronouns are direct and indirect object pronouns. This tends to be one of the most challenging grammar lessons for English-speaking students. Nevertheless, the use of direct and indirect objects is so ubiquitous that we feel obliged to cover it at this beginner level. Feel free to return to this lesson at times of confusion if you do not fully grasp all the details.

Direct vs. Indirect Object Personal Pronouns in Italian

Before we delve into the details, let us first define the difference between the two classes, since the distinction in English is not always clear. The direct object is the noun directly acted upon, whereas the indirect object is usually the noun (or person) receiving the direct object. For example, in the expressions “He gives it to us” and “I give it to you,” the “it” is the direct object acted upon in both examples, whereas “us” is the indirect object in the first example and “you” in the second. In English, we use “me,” “you,” “him,” “her,” “us,” and “them,” regardless of whether we are referring to a direct or indirect object. In Italian, there are some differences.

1. The direct and indirect object pronouns generally come before the verb, e.g., “ce lo dà” (He gives it to us). Attachment to the end of the verb will be discussed as an exception.

2. The indirect object always comes before the direct object when they are both in the same sentence.

3. Unlike in English, we do not add the equivalent of “to” before the indirect object, e.g., “I give it to you” becomes “te lo do” where “te” means “to you” in this context.

Now, let us learn the direct and indirect object pronouns and their equivalents in English.

Notice that the direct and the indirect object pronouns are only different in the third-person singular and plural forms. The direct and indirect objects for the formal “you,” in singular and plural forms, should be capitalized.

Examples

Let us take some examples:

Notice that “gli” is the indirect object used both for third-person masculine singular “him,” and for third-person masculine and feminine plural “them.”

Attaching Object Pronouns to Verb Ends

Now, let us look at the three cases in which the direct or indirect object pronoun attaches to the end of the verb. Object pronouns attach to the infinitive, gerund (ending with “-ando” or “-endo,” equivalent to “-ing” in English), or affirmative imperative. Note that the final “-e” of the verb is dropped when the pronoun is attached to the infinitive or gerund.

Keep in mind that attachment is optional in some of the cases above. The sentences in the first and the second columns of the following examples are equivalent.

Combining Direct and Indirect Object Personal Pronouns in Italian

We will examine how to combine direct and indirect object personal pronouns in the same sentence in Italian through the following two examples:

Example #1

“She sells me the house.”

This translates to:

Lei mi vende la casa.

In the above example, we recognize that “la casa” (the house) is the direct object being acted upon, i.e., being sold, whereas “mi” (me) is the indirect object that receives the direct object, i.e., the house is being sold to me.

Let us first focus on the direct object in “Lei vende la casa” (She sells the house). If we remove the direct object, “la casa” (the house), to say “She sells it,” we must use “lo” or “la” to refer to the direct object pronoun “it.” Since “la casa” is feminine, we must use “la”:

Lei la vende.

Next, we add the indirect object “mi” before the direct object “la” to say “She sells it to me”:

Lei mi la vende.(This would be wrong)

When the indirect object “mi” is followed by the direct object “la,” the indirect object is changed to “me.” Thus, we instead say:

Lei me la vende. (She sells it to me.)

Example # 2

“I send him a gift.”

This translates to:

Io gli mando un regalo.

Here, “un regalo” (a gift) is the direct object, whereas “gli” (him) is the indirect object.

Let us first focus on the direct object in “Io mando un regalo …” (I send a gift …). If we remove the direct object “un regalo” (a gift) to say “I send it …,” we must use “lo” or “la” to refer to the direct object pronoun “it.” Since “un regalo” is masculine, we must use “lo”:

Io lo mando …

Now, we add the indirect object “gli” before the direct object “lo” to say “I send it to him”:

Io gli lo mando.(This would be wrong)

When the indirect object “gli” is followed by the direct object “lo,” they form one word “glielo.” Thus, we instead say:

Io glielo mando.

Indirect Object + Definite Article

In general:

1. When the indirect object “mi,” “ti,” “ci,” or “vi” is followed by the direct object “lo,” “la,” “li,” or “le,” the indirect object is changed to “me,” “te,” “ce,” or “ve,” respectively.

2. When the indirect object “gli” or “le” is followed by the direct object “lo,” “la,” “li,” or “le,” they form one word:

Here are a few more examples:

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