Personal pronouns in Italian
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In Italian, there are 4 categories of personal pronouns.
In this chapter we are going to discuss all of the 4 categories.
We use personal pronouns (pronomi personali) to replace persons, animals, things or ideas.
Subject pronouns | Stressed personal pronouns | Unstressed personal pronouns Direct object pronouns | Unstressed personal pronouns Indirect object pronouns |
---|---|---|---|
Io (I) | Me (Me) | Mi | Mi |
Tu - Lei (You) | Te (You) | Ti | Ti |
Egli, Esso → Lui (He) | Lui (Him) | Lo, Gli | Gli, Ne |
Ella, Essa → Lei (She) | Lei (Her) | La, Le | Le, Ne |
Noi (We) | Noi (Us) | Ci | Ci |
Voi (You) | Voi (You) | Vi | Vi |
Essi → Loro (They, masculine) | Loro (Them) | Li | Gli, Loro, Ne |
Esse → Loro (They, feminine) | Loro (Them) | Le | Gli, Loro, Ne |
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Pronoun | English |
---|---|
Io | I |
Tu (Lei) | You (You) |
Egli, Esso → Lui | He |
Ella, Essa → Lei | She |
Esso | It |
Noi | We |
Voi | You |
Essi → Loro | They (masculine) |
Esse → Loro | They (feminine) |
The third person pronouns (Egli, Esso, Ella, Essa, Essi, Esse) could still appear in some texts but they have been replaced in speech and writing by more colloquial forms, Lui, Lei, Loro.
In Italian we can omit the subject pronoun to highlight the action instead of the subject
Italian | English |
---|---|
(Io) Voglio festeggiare il mio compleanno in spiaggia. | I want to have a birthday party on the beach. |
(Tu) Vuoi che me ne vada? | Do you want me to leave? |
(Noi) Cuciniamo degli spaghetti. | We are cooking some spaghetti. |
The form Lei is a form of politeness.
It's used in a formal context and when addressing somebody you don't know well, older or in a higher position than you.
Remember to write it with a capital letter, not to confuse it with third singular person lei (she).
To distinguish it from Tu, pay attention to the main verb.
Italian | English |
---|---|
Ehi, tu, vieni qui! | Hey you, come here! |
Io e lei abbiamo una relazione a distanza da un anno. | She and I have been in a long-distance relationship for a year. |
Signor Rossi, io credo che Lei dovrebbe accettare questa proposta. | Mr. Rossi, I think you should accept this proposal. |
To understand the difference between these two kinds of pronouns, it's necessary to analize the sentence and context.
Italian | English |
---|---|
Tu mangi | You eat. (You → subject of the sentence, does the action) |
Io ti vedo. | I see you. (You → complement: direct object, answers question Who? What?) |
Io parlo con te. | I talk to you. (You → complement: indirect object, answers question Whom? To what?) |
These pronouns are used to replace an indirect object (whom? to what? for what?).
They are called stressed because the accent of the sentence falls on them.
Stressed pronouns don't need to be merged with the main verb, unlike unstressed pronouns.
They usually come after the verb and are introduced by a preposition.
Italian | English |
---|---|
Me | Me |
Te | You |
Lui | Him |
Lei | Her |
Noi | Us |
Voi | You |
Loro | Them |
Let's analize some examples.
Italian | English |
---|---|
Volevo andare con lui. | I wanted to go with him. |
Questa torta è stata fatta da me. | This cake was baked by me. |
Basta chiacchierare con loro! | Stop chatting with them! |
These pronouns are called unstressed because the accent of the sentence never falls on them.
Direct object pronouns replace the direct object (who? what?).
These pronouns can either precede the verb or be merged with it. The differences in usage depends on the context.
Direct object pronouns |
---|
Mi |
Ti |
Lo (masculine) La (feminine) L' (+vowel) Ne |
Ci |
Vi |
Li (masculine) Le (feminine) |
Take a look at the following sentences
English | Italian |
---|---|
È una bella notizia, l'ho sentita ieri. | It is a good news, I heard about it yesterday. |
Non trovo le chiavi. Le hai viste? | I can't find my keys. Have you seen them? |
Ti ho visto l'altra sera in giro. | I saw you around the other night. |
Mi senti? | Do you hear me? |
Ci incontreremo in piazza. | We will meet in the square |
A direct object pronoun is merged with the verb if its mood is infinitive, gerund or participle.
Remember! Drop the final vowel of the verb before adding the pronoun.
Italian | English |
---|---|
Non sono riuscito a convincerle. convincere (to convince) → convincer- → convincerle (to convince them) | I did not succeed in convincing them. |
C'è del pesce in frigo. Mangialo! | There's some fish in the fridge. Eat it! |
Vieni a trovarci! trovare (to come and see) → trovar- → trovarci (come and visit us) | Come visit us! |
Indirect object pronouns replace indirect objects (whom? to what? for what?).
They could be considered the equivalent of "to me", "to you", "to him", or any question that could be answered with a English preposition.
These pronouns always require a verb and they can either precede or be placed after it.
Indirect object pronouns |
---|
Mi |
Ti |
Gli, Le, Ne |
Ci |
Vi |
Gli (masculine), Loro (feminine), Ne |
Take a look at the following sentences.
Italian | English |
---|---|
Ho bisogno di affidarti il mio gatto per tre giorni. | I need you to take care of my cat for three days. |
Tra poco vi porterò del pane. | I will soon bring you some bread. |
Mi ha convinto, così le ho dato una possibilità. | She convinced me, so I gave her a chance. |
Gli parlerò io. | I will talk to him. |
Ti spedirò una lettera. | I will send you a letter. |
When the pronouns come after a verb, they are usually merged with the verb form itself if the verb is an infinite, gerund or participle.
Italian | English |
---|---|
Portateci del vino. | Bring us some wine. |
Ci interessa la vostra offerta. | We are interested in your offer. |
Regalami un profumo nuovo! | Get me a new perfume as a present! |
Digli che ho cambiato idea. | Tell him I changed my mind. |
Non può mandarti quella email. | He can't send you that email. |
Direct and indirect object pronouns may be used together in the same sentence or even in the same word.
If the direct object is placed towards the end of a sentence, it's usually referred back to with a pronoun in the sentence that follows.
Guarda quelle arance. Me le porti? (Will you bring me those oranges?)
Me = to me
Le = the oranges, direct object
The indirect object pronoun usually precedes the direct object pronoun and changes its form as follows:
Indirect object pronoun | New form |
---|---|
Mi | Me |
Ti | Te |
Gli | Glie |
Le | Glie |
Ci | Ce |
Vi | Ve |
Gli | Glie |
Here are all the possible combinations:
Person | Masculine Singular | Masculine Plural | Feminine Singular | Feminine Plural |
---|---|---|---|---|
It + me | Me lo | Me la | Me li | Me le |
It + you | Te lo | Te la | Te li | Te le |
It + him/her/it | Glielo | Gliela | Glieli | Gliele |
It + us | Ce lo | Ce la | Ce li | Ce le |
It + you | Ve lo | Ve la | Ve li | Ve le |
It + them | Glielo | Gliela | Glieli | Gliele |
Let's analize some examples.
Italian | English |
---|---|
Non ve lo dico. | I won't tell you this. |
Me li dai 10 euro? | Don't you give me 10 euros? |
Te lo spiegherà Marco. | Marco will explain this to you. |
Glielo puoi inviare? | Can you send this to him? |
Ce li hanno portati dall'Olanda. | They brought us these from the Netherlands. |
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Hello everyone. My name is Eva Campagna and I am a professional teacher living in Rome, Italy. As an experienced tutor I would like to offer you custom lessons based on your needs. My lessons are not only educational, but also entertaining and engaging. My teaching method has been honed over 10 years of experience, and is focused on delivering relevant, engaging material in a friendly and inclusive manner.
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Hi!
My name is Mariateresa, I'm Italian and I teach English, Italian and Spanish to foreign students.
Having lived in Spain during my last year at University, I moved to the UK, where I lived for the next five years. My English at that time was quite poor and I made a living by doing various jobs.
One day, inspired by my amazing English teacher Mandy, I had an idea: why not teach my native language and Spanish to English people and other nationalities? You wouldn’t believe how fascinated people are by these languages!
It was in 2017 when I fell in love with this job. So much so that one year later I successfully attained a TESOL Certificate, to teach English as a foreign language.
Teaching allows me to fully express myself and my personal qualities, such as patience and an ability to give my full attention to other people. By giving students a space in which to express themselves without fear, I create a safe, non-judgemental environment.
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I am more than happy to have met Mariateresa as a teacher! She quickly understands the problems a student can encounter, and finds the solutions. She keeps me motivated! I realise that I have made a lot of progress in Italian in the short time since we started our lessons. Can one say better than that?!!
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I am Chiara an I am a native italian teacher. I hold a degree in linguistic and teaching italian as a second language.
I also hold CEDILS certificate in teaching italian as a foreign language.
I worked in an australian college for a year and I also have been working for three years in a language school in the centre of Florence with people from all the countries around the world.: Brazil, Cina, England, France, United States and many more.
I love writing, travelling and sport.
When we will learn italian together we will start from your level and your goals.
We will do grammar lessons, conversation lessons, everything you need to reach your goal and we will do all of this having fun.
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Above all, Chiara is very resourceful. She can talk to you on any subject, that is, if you are interested in speaking Italian. She is patient, assists you with every little step. I could not expect anything better!
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Hi everyone!
My name is Daniela, I am Italian and I come from a small town in Sicily, Southern Italy. I am a qualified Italian language teacher and a CELI examiner! I work in two language schools teaching Italian and I also teach English at school.
I love foreign languages, translating, reading and listening to music. Are you ready to start your language learning path with me? We are going to learn many things and to talk a lot, if you allow me to! Don’t worry if you’ve never studied the language before: everyone can attend my classes – from beginner to advanced students. You just need passion for what you're going to do and... a good Internet connection. Materials are provided by me!
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I asked Daniela to help me with pronunciation. She pays careful attention, and corrects my pronunciation as needed.
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Hello my name is Lucia and I am a native Italian speaker.
I have a degree as an interpreter for English and French so I know how hard it may be to learn a foreign language. I work as a free-lance interpreter and private English and French teacher. I have a strong passion for languages which I have been studying for many years. I am studying Spanish now and always trying to improve my English and French knowledge. I am a friendly person and my lessons mainly focus on conversation. As a teacher I am very patient and I always propose tailor-made lessons with respect to your needs. I am really enthusiastic about being a teacher because this activity allows you to share your culture and habits with foreign people. Learning a language is also learning a new culture.
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Lucia is wonderful! I have no experience with Italian and it has thus far been a lovely fun process. She is easy to schedule with. Sends documents with notes/teaching points from each of our lessons immediately and tailors lesson to exactly my level/experience. Would highly recommend!
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Dear student, my name is Domingo and I am an Italian teacher. 2 short words about me:
After classical studies, I graduated in Italian language and literature. Then I obtained the Cedils certificate as a teacher of Italian for foreigners.
What kind of teacher am I? How can I help you?
Well, I can help you who already know Italian, B1, B2, C1, C2, but you want to deepen the Italian culture, you love poetry, music or maybe you want to discover Italian cinema, or you simply want to improve your command in this tongue.
You who study in Italy, you have to deal with subjects such as history, literature, philosophy, sociology, and you want to deepen some words or concepts in Italian and you want coaching, a valid help.
To you professional, who know Italian but need cultural support to achieve your goals.
I believe that teaching is an exchange, where the teacher is the first to learn. I believe that a language is best learned with emotional involvement, in a relaxed and friendly environment, to allow for greater assimilation into long-term memory. By the word emotional, I mean the pleasure of doing something, of getting involved and having fun. So my dear students, I hope to meet you soon to discover Italian together !!!
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Very good lessons, professional and interesting. Also, very tailored made approach to teaching. Highly recommended A+++++
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Hello Everybody
My name is Luisa and I teach Italian for foreign students, English, French and German for Italian students
Since 1994, I have dedicated myself to translating and teaching thanks to my travels, abroad studies, foreign reading and writing. I provide fun and customized lessons based on the student's goals. I also triy to minimize English speaking during the lessons. I give homework exercises, and my lessons are intermixed with grammar, conversation, customs and traditions. My goal is to make certain that each student finds learning Italian exciting.
I am available for any explanations also via e mail
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Luisa is a really nice teacher with a lovely personality. She makes you feel very comfortable and will tailor the lessons for you. Thank you Luisa.
Luisa A.Dear Veronica, thank you, thank you so much !! :-))
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Elisabetta is a great teacher! She helpes me to study italian. She takes the time and she knows what is the best pace to evolve! I learn New things in a great tempo.., im on my way for my celi A1 examination whit teacher Elisabetta i'm gonna make it !! Thank you so much!!
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Buongiorno gente!
Are you ready to learn italian with me?
My name is Mojra and I'm a qualified mother tongue tutor. Whether you need to prepare yourself for a job interview, you're planning to relocate to Italy or to spend your next holiday there, I look forward to assisting you to achieve your goals!
I am here to help you improve you grammar, sentence structure and to teach you helpful phrases in a fun and relaxed way.
I graduated from university majoring in Linguistic Mediation and in Modern Languages and then I specialized in the teaching of Italian as a second language, attending a one-year post-graduate course devoted to this and receiving excellent grades (FILIS: Formatori Interculturali di Lingua Italiana per Stranieri). I also teach in the Italian public schools.
If you'd like to learn Italian fluently, I'd love to be your teacher, then why not book a trial class with me now? In this lesson, we will design a lesson plan especially for you discussing how you will reach your specific goals.
IMPORTANT: Please contact me before booking your lesson with me and let me know your Italian level as well as the reasons why you want to learn Italian.
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I've now had 2 lessons with Mojra and I can warmly recommend her. We keep the lessons in Italian, which I really enjoy. Mojra is a kind and patient teacher who listens to you and your wishes in regards to what you want to focus on during the classes. Mi piacciono molto le mie lezioni con Mojra e non vedo l'ora per le nostre lezioni in futuro!
Mojra G.Thanks for your nice words Sofia, see you next lesson!
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Hello, everybody ! My name is Elena. I’m a native Italian speaker, I’m 49 years old and live in Turin. I am a certified CEDILS teacher, I graduated in Foreign Languages and Literature in Milan and have been working as a teacher of Italian for more than 10 years. I speak English and German. I attended specialization courses for Italian L2 teachers and I am interviewer for C1 PLIDA exam.
Are you seeking a friendly and dynamic study environment ? I got what you need. I am looking forward to being in touch with new students and organize pleasant, interesting and fruitful courses.
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I offer 1-to-1 or 2-to-1 tuition, general Italian courses (grammar, conversation, listening, reading and writing), preparation to Italian examinations (all levels, also Italian for residence permit) and Italian and culture courses.
Grammar, vocabulary exercises, reading articles and magazines and talking together are all tools to feel at ease with the Italian language and then be able to practice it.
I have worked with children, adolescents and adults for all levels of Italian, from beginner to advanced. I have experience in preparing students to international certification (CILS, PLIDA). I was an A2/B1 Telc examiner.
Learning Italian can be closely related to culture, literature, music, sport and any other interest of my students.
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Elena is an incredible teacher. She has great methodology and knowledge to assist the student in his needs. She helps you to see your potential and gives feedback helping you to improve your knowledge of the language. Thanks Elena for you support in this process.
Elena F.Thanks so much ! It is a pleasure to work with you, you are a very good and very very nice student.
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Hi everyone!
My name is Daniela, I am Italian and I come from a small town in Sicily, Southern Italy. I am a qualified Italian language teacher and a CELI examiner! I work in two language schools teaching Italian and I also teach English at school.
I love foreign languages, translating, reading and listening to music. Are you ready to start your language learning path with me? We are going to learn many things and to talk a lot, if you allow me to! Don’t worry if you’ve never studied the language before: everyone can attend my classes – from beginner to advanced students. You just need passion for what you're going to do and... a good Internet connection. Materials are provided by me!
See you online!
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Daniela is super nice! Super professional and lessons delivered in a informal and enjoyable way! Thanks Daniela :)
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