Italian indirect object pronouns are essential for everyday conversation, as they indicate to whom or for whom an action is performed. In other words, these pronouns replace the names of people or things that receive the action of the verb indirectly.
Imagine you’re chilling in a cozy restaurant in Naples with your sister, both of you crave something vegetarian because, hey, no meat for you guys! You want to nudge the waiter to suggest a veggie dish. In Italian, you’d casually ask, Può consigliarci un piatto vegetariano? (Can you recommend us a vegetarian dish?). Here, ci is the indirect object pronoun for “to us.”
This example clearly illustrates that indirect object pronouns in Italian are used as indirect complements. They are not the main subjects or the direct objects of sentences. Instead, they link to the verb indirectly, often following small prepositions.
Here are some more examples:
- Lucia ha telefonato a Luca. (Lucia called Luca.) —> Lucia gli ha telefonato. (Lucia called him.)
Gli replaces a Luca.
- Abbiamo pensato a te Angela. (We thought about you, Angela) —> Ti abbiamo pensato. (We thought about you.)
Ti replaces a te Angela.
- A te e Luigi piace viaggiare? (Do you and Luigi like traveling?) —> Vi piace viaggiare? (Do you like traveling?)
Vi replaces a te e Luigi.
This guide will provide you with practical examples to help you understand how and when to use indirect object pronouns in your Italian conversations so you sound like a real local. To see how much you’ve learned, don’t forget to complete the free quiz at the end of this lesson to test your new-found knowledge!
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When you start learning Italian, it’s pretty common to keep repeating the same basic phrases and words, but if you’re gunning for fluency, it’s time to shake things up a bit. The key? Familiarize yourself with Italian pronouns to inject rhythm into your sentences!
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Italian Indirect Object Pronouns Chart
Similar to Italian direct object pronouns, indirect object pronouns have both atonic (unstressed) and tonic (stressed) forms.
| Indirect Object Pronouns | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Italian | English | ||
| Unstressed (Atonic) | Stressed (Tonic) | ||
| 1° person singular (masc. / fem.) | mi | me | me |
| 2° person singular (masc. / fem.) | ti | te | you |
| 3° person singular (masc.) | gli, le (formal) | lui, lei (formal) | him, it, you (formal) |
| 3° person singular (fem.) | le, le (formal) | lei, lei (formal) | her, it, you (formal) |
| 1° person plural (masc. / fem.) | ci | noi | us |
| 2° person plural (masc. / fem.) | vi | voi | you |
| 3° person plural (masc.) | gli | loro | them |
| 3° person plural (fem.) | gli | loro | them |
How to use Italian Indirect Object Pronouns
Let’s explore these differences in more detail to better understand their usage.
Unstressed (atonic) indirect object pronouns in Italian
What they are: these pronouns replace nouns after verbs that use the preposition a (to), like offrire (to offer), parlare (to speak), dire (say), dare (to give), and others.
Placement: typically before the verb, the preposition a is not repeated
Here are some examples:
- Telefonerò ai miei genitori domani. (I will call my parents tomorrow.) —> Gli telefonerò domani. (I will call them tomorrow.) – gli = ai miei genitori.
- Porto sempre dei tulipani a mia nonna. (I always bring tulips to my grandma.) —> Le porto sempre dei tulipani. (I always bring her tulips.) – le = a mia nonna.
- Ho mandato una cartolina ai nostri amici. (I sent a postcard to our friends.) —> Gli ho mandato una cartolina. (I sent them a postcard.) – gli = ai nostri amici.
4 Exceptions in Italian pronoun positioning:
1. With infinitive, imperative, or gerund forms, these pronouns follow the verb, forming a single word:
- Infinitive example: Ho deciso di regalarvi una bella vacanza. (I have decided to give you a nice vacation.) – regalarvi = regalare a voi.
- Imperative example: Telefonami subito, ho delle novità. (Call me immediately, I have some news.) – telefonami = telefona a me.
- Gerund example: Nicola ha conquistato la sua ragazza dedicandole una canzone. (Nicola won over his girlfriend by dedicating a song to her.) – dedicandole = dedicando a lei.
2. The pronoun loro (them) is always placed after the verb, regardless of the tense. For example: Ho datoloro delle caramelle. (I gave them some candies).
3. With modal verbs, and expressions like stare per + infinitive, and finire di + infinitive, these pronouns can be placed either before or after the verb:
- Modal verbs example: Vi voglio regalare un quadro <—> Voglio regalarvi un quadro (I want to give you a painting).
- Stare per + infinitive example: La sto per andare a prendere <—> Sto per andarla a prendere (I’m about to go pick her up).
- Finire di + infinitive example: Ti finisco di raccontare dopo cena <—> Finisco di raccontarti dopo cena (I’ll finish telling you after dinner).
4. When preceded by ecco (here), these pronouns go after the adverb, forming a single word: Ecco a te i libri che desideravi —> Eccoti i libri che desideravi (Here are the books you wanted).
Stressed (tonic) indirect object pronouns in Italian
What they are: these pronouns are used to emphasize the indirect object or when the verb is followed by prepositions other than a.
Placement: always after the verb, the preposition is always repeated.
Here are some examples:
- Non intrometterti, Michela mi sta parlando. —> Non intrometterti, Michela sta parlando a me. (Don’t interfere, Michela is talking to me). Here, using the tonic pronoun me instead of the atonic one mi emphasizes the speaker.
- Ieri ho parlato con Valeria. (Yesterday I spoke with Valeria.) —> Ieri ho parlato con lei. (Yesterday I spoke with her).
- Ti sei ricordato di comprare il regalo per i tuoi genitori? (Did you remember to buy the gift for your parents?) —> Ti sei ricordato di comprare il regalo per loro? (Did you remember to buy the gift for them?)
Attenzione!: when the 3° person indirect object pronoun refers to the same person performing the action, use sé for clarity:
- Anna pensa solo a lei. (Anna thinks only about her.) —> Anna pensa solo a sé. (Anna thinks only about herself). Here, sé specifically refers to Anna herself, emphasizing that her thoughts are focused on herself rather than on others.
Stefano ha comprato i biglietti per lui. (Stefano bought tickets for him.) —> Stefano ha comprato i biglietti per sé. (Stefano bought tickets for himself.). In this instance, sé clearly indicates that Stefano bought the tickets for himself.
Italian Indirect Object Pronouns Quiz
Let’s test your knowledge of Italian indirect object pronouns. Fill in the blanks in these sentences using the correct indirect object pronoun.
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