Indirect Object Pronouns in Italian (mi, ti, gli, le, ci, vi, loro)
Indirect Object Pronouns (Pronomi indiretti: mi, ti, gli, le, ci, vi, loro)
Replace recipient nouns preceded by preposition a (answering A chi? / To whom?): mi, ti, gli (to him), le (to her), Le (to you formal), ci, vi, loro/gli (to them). Does NOT cause past participle agreement.
In Italian grammar, *Indirect Object Pronouns (Pronomi indiretti) replace a noun preceded by the preposition a (denoting the person/entity to whom or for whom something is done, answering the question A chi? / To whom?*):
1. The Pronoun Inventory: - 1st sg.: mi (to me) → Marco mi telefona (Marco calls me) - 2nd sg.: ti (to you sg.) → Ti regalo un libro (I gift a book to you) - 3rd sg. masc.: gli (to him) → Gli parlo (I speak to him) - 3rd sg. fem.: le (to her) → Le scrivo (I write to her) - Formal you: Le (capitalized: to you formal) → Le posso fare una domanda? - 1st pl.: ci (to us) → Ci offre un caffè (He offers us a coffee) - 2nd pl.: vi (to you pl.) → Vi spiego la regola (I explain the rule to you) - 3rd pl.: loro (to them — traditionally placed after the verb without preposition: Parlo loro) or colloquially gli (placed before: Gli parlo).
2. Key Verbs Governing Indirect Pronouns: telefonare a, piacere a, servire a, bastare a, regalare a, spiegare a, chiedere a, rispondere a, mandare a, prestare a.
3. NO Past Participle Agreement: Unlike direct pronouns (lo, la, li, le), indirect object pronouns NEVER trigger past participle agreement in Passato Prossimo: Gli ho telefonato (NOT telefonati), Le ho parlato (NOT parlata).
Examples
Ieri ho incontrato Marco e gli ho raccontato tutte le novità del nostro lavoro.
Yesterday I met Marco and told him all the news about our work.
Quando parla la professoressa, le facciamo molte domande interessanti sulla lezione.
When the professor speaks, we ask her many interesting questions about the lesson.
Signor Rossi, Le posso inviare tutti i documenti aziendali per posta elettronica stasera?
Mr. Rossi, may I send you all the corporate documents by email tonight?
I nostri cari amici ci hanno telefonato ieri sera per invitarci alla loro festa.
Our dear friends called us last night to invite us to their party.
Related terms
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