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, 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.
Do you wish to learn or improve your Italian to speak with your parents or friends? Do you need Italian for work or study ? Do you simply love Italian language and culture ? Do you need to improve your writing skills ?
My classes are tailored on your needs and considering your level of knowledge, I create a proper course plan. Classes focus on language and on the possibility for you to improve your ability to speak and understand Italian in your daily life or in work.
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 excellent, experienced teacher. A true professional. She is patient with my beginner-level Italian language skills. She will quickly assess your skill level (or lack thereof) and present an appropriate level of instruction to ensure rapid growth. She will encourage you to use Italian during lessons to expedite your learning curve. I highly recommend her.
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Hello,
I am a multilingual teacher with experience in teaching French to German, Japanese, English, Bulgarian and Italian-speaking students, etc. (levels A1 to C1).
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Looking forward to hearing from you,
Katia
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Katia is a very sweet person, her pronunciation is BEAUTIFUL and she’s very knowledgeable. I loved my lessons with her. I highly recommend her
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Bonjour à tous!
My name is Daniel, and I have been an online and face-to-face French teacher for more than 5 years (I work at the Alliance Française of Burgos and I have been teaching private classes online and face-to-face for several years).
I have experience in teaching children, teenagers and adults, whether for professional or educational purposes or simply for the pleasure of learning a language as beautiful as French.
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À très bientôt!!!
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Daniel is a teacher with a lot of experience in teaching and plenty of materials. .I can totally recommend him
This review was written by a coLanguage team member during a manual screening of this teacher profile.
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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 an extraordinary teacher and has helped me become very confident in speaking Italian and I really like every lesson, thanks Daniela.
Daniela V.Dear Pip, thank you for your positive feedback and thank you for your trust !. You're doing an exceptional job, keep it up :-)
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I am a private teacher in English, German and Italian. I am a Master's graduate in Translation and Interpreting at the University of Genoa, Italy. I am Italian native speaker. I know English and German at C2 level and Russian at B2 level.
I have been studying English for the last 15 years, first at school and then at the university and I have improved it on my frequent stays abroad. I have now been teaching English for 4 years, first to school children and teenagers and now adults too. I have experience teaching online and at home. I also have taught group classes.
Being fluent in several languages allows me to give students further explainations in their native language when needed. This also allows me to put myself in my students' shoes and understand better their difficulties. I try to meet the student's personal needs and objectives rather than impose my standard class.
During my classes I focus on the active skills of language, speaking and writing. I often ask students to do presentations so they practice writing and speaking at once. I strongly encourage self-studying along with frontal teaching in order to considerably shorten learning time. Homework is for me as important as frontal classes. If needed, I can provide students with textbooks and online material such as videos, news, songs and textes.
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Federico is an exceptional teacher. He is patient, knowledgable and makes learning much less stressful. In the short time I've been working with him I feel that my Italian has grown so much faster. He has so many resources to share with his students and helps to coach me through the difficult parts of language learning! I highly recommend him to anyone wanted to learn Italian, it is truly a wonderful experience.
Federico C.Thank you Dan for the great review! A student like you makes everything easier. I hope to continue like that!
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Hello everyone!
My name is Ermanno, I am 37 years old, and I am a Italian native speaker.
I got a Master Degree in 2010. Since then I have worked with languages, as a student support, tour guide and event coordinator between Spain and Ireland.
Also, I have been teaching Italian and Spanish giving private classes to students and refugees for over ten years.
I speak English (level c1) and Spanish (level c2) well enough to explain something to you in one of those languages just in case you need.
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-What I offer-
I have been teaching Italian and Spanish for more than 10 years so far, and I have always used no traditional teaching method.
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WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT YOU SPEAK AS MUCH YOU CAN?
Because our brain need some time to make us fluent and being confident speaking in another language.
Do not be afraid to make mistakes.
It is the essential and funniest part of the learning process.
What are you waiting for?
Ci vediamo presto L'Italiano ti aspetta!
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Perfect the class with Ermanno. Punctual, professional, educational and very friendly. He prepared the class in advance and adjusted to what I asked. Also send me a pdf with the class information so you can review it at home !! We were able to take full advantage of it. As soon as I have a little more time I will sign up for more classes with Ermanno without hesitation. Recommended 100%
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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.
Do you wish to learn or improve your Italian to speak with your parents or friends? Do you need Italian for work or study ? Do you simply love Italian language and culture ? Do you need to improve your writing skills ?
My classes are tailored on your needs and considering your level of knowledge, I create a proper course plan. Classes focus on language and on the possibility for you to improve your ability to speak and understand Italian in your daily life or in work.
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 a great teacher! Kind, nice, very well prepared, in short, if you want to learn Italian she is your teacher. Elena is a great teacher! Kind, cheerful, well prepared, in short, if you would like to learn Italian she is your teacher. Elena is a brilliant teacher! Amable, sympathetic, preparada, en definitively, you are thinking en aprender italiano ella es tu profesora.
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Hi, welcome to my profile!
My name is Alessia and I currently live in Italy. I spent a few years in the United States where I deepened my knowledge of English and American dialects. I am currently specializing in Spanish and German. Over the years, I have given private lessons in Italian, English, Spanish, and Japanese, with Japanese being the most requested at the moment. Regarding Japanese, I had the opportunity to teach the language at an American college with a native Japanese teacher, applying the method that they use to learn their own language. I will help you in a simple way; conversation is really important for learning a language, and a good method is even more fundamental. No days spent on textbooks are needed; consistency and fun during lessons are the most important parts of learning. You will see results right away! I am patient, flexible, and will adapt in every way to your personal needs. I look forward to seeing you on my profile for a trial lesson and discovering an easy and fun method to learn a language as soon as possible.
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I Have had a few weeks of Italian lessons with Alessia and I have found them very useful. In our first lesson we spoke about what I wanted (hoped) to learn and she has prepared resources based on this conversation and my ability level for every lesson since then. Her lessons are a nice mix of conversation, reading, written and spoken exercises. We use a text book (supplied by Alessia) as well as additional material when suitable. I recommend Alessia as a tutor.
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I offer English and Indonesian language classes. My class is based on conversation practice. You will learn grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary through practice. You will learn in a safest way because I always want to make sure my students feel comfortable and safe during the class, so they are not afraid to make mistakes.
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Ade is a very gentle person with lots of experience in teaching English. She offers well structured lessons, I totally recommend her!
This review was written by a coLanguage team member during a manual screening of this teacher profile.
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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 a very engaging and sympathetic teacher. And although we have only done a couple of lessons we are feeling much more confident about the possibility of being able to converse in Italian. Thank you Lucia!
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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 a very competent and experienced Italian teacher. She prepares the lessons very carefully and focuses on all relevant aspects such as conversation, grammar and vocabulary. Above all, she has a very friendly personality that makes you feel at ease immediately. I can highly recommend her as an Italian teacher.
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Ana is a genuinely nice person and her kindness and gentleness comes through in the lessons. I thoroughly enjoy Ana’s teaching , it’s informative and tailored exactly to what I want to achieve. I wholeheartedly recommend Ana as your Spanish tutor.
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Native teacher with 30 years of teaching experience. Bachelor of Education (Sydney Australia). Dynamic and interactive lessons where the student is an active participant. The lessons can be tailored to your personal and professional needs. I prepare students for international exams.
Join me and let's have fun learning together.
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July is really the best teacher you can get. She prepares extremely well-structured lessons and is very kind. I totally recommend her to anyone that wants to learn English.
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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 such a great teacher; she’s energetic, patient, enthusiastic. I recommend her for anyone, child or adult.
Luisa A.Thank you so much Nicole !!!! much appreciated !!
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I am a qualified teacher with a Bachelor's Degree in Education and a TESOL certificate. I will make you fall in love with English or Afrikaans. My goal is to make learning as fun and exiting as possible by using these methods in class: singing, dancing, games, role play and using fun colorful resources. I can help you with anything from pronunciation, grammer, reading and writing, phonics and building your vocabulary.
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Magda has a lot of experience and is well-structured. She offers a lot of materials. I would totally recommend her.
This review was written by a coLanguage team member during a manual screening of this teacher profile.
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