Indirect object pronouns

What are indirect object pronouns in Italian?

Indirect object pronouns (pronomi indiretti) replace a phrase that answers the question "to whom?" or "for whom?" In English these usually correspond to "to me, to you, to him, to her, to us, to you (pl.), to them." Use them to avoid repeating the noun: instead of "Ho dato il libro a Maria" you say "Le ho dato il libro." (I gave the book to Maria → I gave her the book.)

When do I use them?

- When a verb is followed by "a" or sometimes "per" to show the recipient or beneficiary: "Ho scritto una mail a Paolo." → "Gli ho scritto una mail." (I wrote Paolo an email → I wrote him an email.)
- With verbs that naturally take a dative/indirect object: piacere, telefonare, parlare a, rispondere a, servire, mancare, chiedere a, dire a, dare a, etc.
- "Mi piace la pizza." (I like pizza — literally: pizza pleases me.)
- "Le ho telefonato ieri." (I called her yesterday.)
- "Ci serve una penna." (We need a pen.)

Forms and meanings

Here are the common indirect object pronouns and their basic meanings:

- mi — to me
- Example: "Mi dai il sale?" (Can you pass me the salt?)
- ti — to you (singular, informal)
- Example: "Ti ho visto ieri." (I saw you yesterday.)
- gli — to him (also commonly used in speech for "to them"; see note below)
- Example: "Gli ho dato il libro." (I gave him the book.)
- le — to her
- Example: "Le ho detto la verità." (I told her the truth.)
- Le — to you (formal singular) — often capitalized in formal letters/speeches
- Example: "Le posso fare una domanda?" (May I ask you a question?)
- ci — to us
- Example: "Ci hanno offerto aiuto." (They offered us help.)
- vi — to you (plural)
- Example: "Vi porto i bicchieri." (I’ll bring you the glasses.)
- loro — to them (standard written form; normally placed after the verb)
- Example: "Ho dato loro i biglietti." (I gave them the tickets.)

Notes on gli vs. loro:
- In spoken Italian, "gli" is often used for "to him" and "to them." Example: "Gli ho detto" can mean "I told him" or "I told them" (context clarifies). In standard/written Italian, use "loro" after the verb for "to them": "Ho detto loro la verità."
- "Loro" is not placed before the verb: "Loro ho dato i biglietti" is incorrect.

Also: when combined with other pronouns, some forms change (see the combining section below). The clitic (unstressed) forms "mi, ti, ci, vi" often change to "me, te, ce, ve" in combinations or emphatic positions.

Where do I put indirect object pronouns? (Position rules)

Before a simple (conjugated) verb:
- "Ti vedo." (I see you.)
- "Gli parlo spesso." (I speak to him often.)

Before the auxiliary in compound tenses (passato prossimo, etc.):
- "Ti ho visto ieri." (I saw you yesterday.)
- "Le ho scritto una mail." (I wrote her an email.)

Important: indirect object pronouns do not trigger agreement of the past participle. Compare with direct objects:
- Indirect: "Le ho parlato." (I spoke to her.) — participle stays "parlato".
- Direct: "Ho visto Maria." → "L'ho vista." (I saw Maria.) — participle agrees (see agreement section below).

With infinitives and modal verbs (volere, potere, dovere):
You can either place the pronoun before the conjugated modal verb or attach it to the infinitive:
- "Voglio parlarti." or "Ti voglio parlare." (I want to talk to you.)
- "Devo dirle la verità." or "Le devo dire la verità." (I must tell her the truth.)

Attaching to the infinitive is very common: "Voglio parlarti" is slightly more natural than "Ti voglio parlare" in many contexts.

With the imperative:
- Affirmative (tu) — attach the pronoun: "Dammi il libro!" (Give me the book!) / "Parlagli!" (Talk to him!)
- Negative (tu) — the pronoun can come before the verb or be attached to the infinitive form after "non":
- "Non mi parlare!" or "Non parlargli!" (Don't talk to me / him!)
- "Non dirmelo" (Don't tell me it) — common form with infinitive.
- Formal (Lei) — pronouns usually precede the verb: "Mi dia il documento, per favore." (Please give me the document.)

With gerunds/progressive forms or "stare + gerund":
- "Gli sto parlando." (I'm talking to him.)
- You can also use the infinitive attachment when appropriate: "Sto per parlargli." (I'm about to talk to him.)

With prepositional phrases and clitic doubling:
Sometimes the noun phrase and the pronoun both appear for emphasis or clarity (especially with names):
- "A Maria le ho dato il libro." (I gave Maria the book — emphatic or clarifying.)
This is called clitic doubling; it is correct for emphasis or to clarify who is meant, but avoid redundant doubling like "A me mi piace" in formal standard Italian.

Combining indirect and direct object pronouns

When a sentence needs both an indirect object and a direct object pronoun, they combine. General order: indirect pronoun + direct pronoun.

Common combined forms (indirect + direct):
- mi + lo/la/li/le/ne → me lo, me la, me li, me le, me ne
- Example: "Me lo dai?" (Can you give it to me?)
- ti + lo/la/li/le/ne → te lo, te la, te li, te le, te ne
- Example: "Te lo porto domani." (I'll bring it to you tomorrow.)
- gli / le (3rd person) + lo/la/li/le/ne → glielo, gliela, glieli, gliele, gliene
- Example: "Gliel'ho dato ieri." (I gave it to him/her/them yesterday.) — note contraction and apostrophe: "Gliel'ho detto." (I told it to him/her/them.)
- ci + lo/la/li/le/ne → ce lo, ce la, ce li, ce le, ce ne
- Example: "Ce li hanno portati." (They brought them to us.)
- vi + lo/la/li/le/ne → ve lo, ve la, ve li, ve le, ve ne
- Example: "Ve la mando stasera." (I'll send it to you (pl.) tonight.)

Notes on "loro":
- "Loro" normally does not combine into contracted forms; in practice speakers often use "glie-" forms (e.g., "glielo") even when referring to "them." In standard written Italian you can use "Ho dato loro i biglietti" or the clitic form "Glieli ho dati."

Examples across tenses and moods:
- Present: "Mi dai la penna?" → "Me la dai?" (Will you give me the pen?)
- Past (passato prossimo): "Hai dato il regalo a Marco?" → "Gliel'ho dato ieri." (I gave it to him yesterday.)
- Future: "Te lo darò domani." (I will give it to you tomorrow.)
- Imperative: "Dammi la roba!" or combined: "Dammi la roba!" / "Dimmelo!" (Tell me it!)

Important: when the direct object pronoun precedes the auxiliary verb in compound tenses, the past participle agrees in gender and number with that direct object pronoun (but not with indirect object pronouns). See next section.

Past participle agreement: what changes and what doesn't

General rule:
- The past participle agrees in gender and number with a direct object pronoun that comes before the auxiliary (with "avere").
- Indirect object pronouns do not make the past participle agree.

Examples:
- Direct object pronoun causes agreement:
- "Ho visto le ragazze." → "Le ho viste." (I saw the girls.) — "viste" agrees (feminine plural).
- "Ho mandato la lettera." → "L'ho mandata." (I sent the letter.) — "mandata" agrees (feminine singular).
- Indirect object pronoun does not cause agreement:
- "Ho parlato a Maria." → "Le ho parlato." (I spoke to her.) — participle stays "parlato."
- Combined example (both direct and indirect):
- "Ho mandato la lettera a Maria." → "Gliel'ho mandata." Breakdown: "glie-" = to her, "l'" = the letter (direct); because the direct pronoun is before the auxiliary, the participle "mandata" agrees with "la lettera."

Clitic doubling and emphasis

Clitic doubling = using both the full prepositional phrase and the clitic pronoun: "A Maria le ho detto tutto." This is common and natural for emphasis or clarity, especially with names. However:
- Doubling with personal pronouns like "a me mi" is colloquial and often considered nonstandard: "A me mi piace" is heard in speech but standard Italian prefers "Mi piace" or "A me piace" for emphasis.

Common mistakes to avoid

- Confusing indirect and direct object pronouns:
- Wrong: "Gli vedo." (intending "I see him") → Correct: "Lo vedo." ("Lo" is the direct object pronoun for "him/it")
- Explanation: "Vedere" takes a direct object, so use lo/la/li/le, not mi/ti/gli.

- Placing "loro" before the verb:
- Wrong: "Loro ho dato i biglietti." → Correct: "Ho dato loro i biglietti." or "Gli ho dato i biglietti."

- Wrong past participle agreement with indirect objects:
- Wrong: "Le ho parlata." → Correct: "Le ho parlato." (Here "le" is indirect; "parlato" does not agree.)

- Writing separated forms instead of contracted ones for 3rd person combinations:
- Wrong: "Gli lo do." → Correct: "Glielo do."

- Overusing clitic doubling in formal speech: prefer "Mi piace" or "A me piace" rather than "A me mi piace" in writing.

Quick reference: short examples with translations

- "Mi ha chiamato." — He/she called me.
- "Ti mando un messaggio." — I’ll send you a message.
- "Gli ho detto tutto." — I told him everything.
- "Le ho comprato un regalo." — I bought her a gift.
- "Ci serve un'automobile." — We need a car.
- "Vi do il numero." — I’ll give you (pl.) the number.
- "Ho dato loro le chiavi." — I gave them the keys. / "Glieli ho dati." (I gave them to them.)
- "Mi piace questa canzone." — I like this song.
- "Gliel'ho spiegato ieri." — I explained it to him/her/them yesterday.

Glossary (brief)

- Clitic: an unstressed pronoun that attaches to a verb (e.g., mi, ti, gli). It usually appears before the conjugated verb.
- Indirect object: the recipient or beneficiary of the action (answers "to whom?" or "for whom?").
- Direct object: the thing/person directly affected by the verb (answers "what?" or "whom?").
- Past participle agreement: with "avere," the participle agrees in gender/number with a preceding direct object pronoun.

Summary: key points to remember

- Indirect object pronouns answer "to whom/for whom" and replace "a + noun/pronoun."
- Forms: mi, ti, gli, le, Le, ci, vi, loro (note: "gli" is widely used; "loro" often used after the verb).
- Position: usually before a conjugated verb or before the auxiliary in compound tenses; attach to infinitives and affirmative imperatives.
- Combined pronouns: indirect + direct (me lo, te lo, glielo, ce lo, ve lo, etc.). Use contracted forms like "glielo" (not "gli lo").
- Past participle agreement applies to preceding direct object pronouns, not to indirect ones.

If you keep these patterns and look for the verb’s complement ("to whom? / for whom?"), indirect object pronouns will quickly become natural in your Italian.