DIRECT and INDIRECT Pronouns in Italian: the FINAL Explanation in LESS than 10 MINUTES! ✅ 

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Ok... In this lesson we decided to explain (and make you understand) what direct and indirect pronouns in Italian are and how they are used! Let's start!
DIRECT and INDIRECT Pronouns in Italian
First of all, what's a pronoun? A pronoun is a variable part of the language that is used to replace the noun; it indicates directly people or things that are present in reality or that have been already mentioned, otherwise it refers to the content of whole sentences.
The direct pronouns in Italian are:
Direct pronouns
mi
ti
lo, la
ci
vi
li, le
Direct pronouns have the function of direct object. Therefore, they are used when the verb is not followed by any preposition and they answer the question "Who? What?".
For example:
Anna compra il libro = Anna lo compra (Anna buys the book = Anna buys it)
In this case, the direct pronoun lo replaces the direct object: "il libro".
Let's make another example:
Luca sogna sempre le sue cugine = Luca le sogna (Luca always dreams about his cousins = Luca always dreams about them)
In this case, the direct pronoun le replaces the direct object: "le sue cugine".
The replacement is very easy to do, you just have to keep this in mind:
Direct pronouns (weak) Direct pronouns (strong)
mi - me
ti - te
lo, la - lui, lei
ci - noi
vi - voi
li, le - loro
Let's try to replace the "strong" direct pronouns with the "weak" direct pronouns. Here you are some examples:
Mario sogna me = Mario mi sogna (Mario dreams about me)
Roberta vedrà te = Roberta ti vedrà (Roberta will see you)
Dario compra la mela (lei) = Dario la compra (Dario buys the apple = Dario buys it)
Luigi ha visto me e mio fratello (noi) = Luigi ci ha visti* (Luigi saw me and my brother = Luigi saw us)
Marta notava te e Luca (voi) = Marta vi notava (Marta noticed you and Luca = Marta noticed you)
Miriam ha venduto le case (loro) = Miriam le ha vendute* (Miriam sold the houses = Miriam sold them)
*Why "visti" instead of "visto" and "vendute" instead of "venduto" even though there is the auxiliary verb avere?
The answer is quite easy: when you put a direct pronoun before a verb in the "passato prossimo", its past participle has to agree with gender and number of the subject, even though you're using the verb "avere" as an auxiliary.
For example:
- Hai comprato le mele? (Did you buy apples?)
- Sì, le ho comprate! (Yes, I bought them!)
Italians use "weak" direct pronouns a lot! In fact, you will rarely hear sentences like:
Mario sogna me
or
Luca ha visto noi
As you might have noticed, direct pronouns usually go before the verb, except in five cases, in which they are put after the verb.
First case:
1) If there are two verbs joined by a preposition:
Verrò a trovarti domani! (I'll come see you tomorrow!)
Giungo per portarti cattive notizie. (I'm here to bring you bad news)
Passo a prenderla più tardi... (I'll pick her up later...)
Be careful! In this case, the direct pronoun can also be put before the first verb!
For example:
Ti vengo a prendere dopo. (I'll pick you up later)
Second case:
2) If the verb is in the imperative:
Spostalo! (Move it!)
Non tirarlo! (Don't pull it!)
If you still have doubts and you want to study the Italian IMPERATIVE more in depth, take a look at the lesson we realized about this topic: • Imperativo italiano + ... 👈🏽
Third case:
3) If the verb is in the gerund:
Guardandola attentamente, ho notato che stava piangendo. (Looking at her carefully, I noticed she was crying)
or
Prendendolo violentemente, si rompe. (If you take it with violence, it might break)
Fourth case:
4) If the verb is in the infinitive:
Mangiarla potrebbe farti ingrassare. (Eating it can make you gain weight)
Fifth case:
5) If there's the adverb ECCO:
Eccola! (Here she is!)
Eccomi! (Here I am!)
Eccoti! (Here you are!)
It's not that difficult after all... Let's move to indirect pronouns now.
The indirect pronouns in Italian are:
Indirect pronouns
mi
ti
gli, le
ci
vi
loro
Indirect pronouns have the function of indirect object. Therefore, they are used when the verb is followed by the preposition "a" (to) and they answer the question "To whom? To what?".
For example:
Miriana ha telefonato a Luca = Miriana gli ha telefonato (Miriana phoned Luca = Miriana phoned him)
In this case, the indirect pronoun gli replaces the indirect object: "a Luca".
Learn the SUBJUNCTIVE: • Come e quando usare il... 👈🏽