Subject and Object Pronouns in Italian

Subject and Object Pronouns in Italian

ItalianItalian A1

This is Italian grammar for beginners! Today, we will be discussing pronouns.

Pronouns (pronome in Italian) are small words that can replace nouns, like objects, people, quantities, or possessions. They help avoid repeating the same noun over and over. They can either be part of a more complex sentence or stand alone as simple sentences.

Italian has numerous pronouns, which can be challenging for learners. Despite the difficulty, using pronouns is essential in conversations. That's why we will cover pronouns early on in this course for beginners. Here is a detailed overview of Italian pronouns, both subjects and objects.

Subject Pronouns

Subject pronouns indicate who or what is performing the action in a sentence. Italian sentences often do not require them because the verb conjugation reveals the subject. Nevertheless, they are commonly used for emphasis or to make the sentence clearer.
Italian English
Io I
Tu You (singular, informal)
Lui / Lei He / She or You (singular, formal)
Noi We
Voi You all
Loro They

Examples:
Io studio italiano (I study Italian);
Lei è una cantante (She is a singer);
Voi lavorate qui (You all work here).

Object Pronouns

Object pronouns replace the nouns that act as recipients of the verb action. The pronouns can be direct object pronouns or indirect object pronouns.

Direct Object Pronouns

Italian English
Mi Me
Ti You (singular, informal)
Lo / La Him / Her or You (singular, formal) / It (masculine / feminine)
Ci Us
Vi You all
Li / Le Them (masculine / feminine)

Examples:
Ho visto Luca. Lo conosco bene (I saw Luca. I know him well);
Prendo una pizza. La mangio subito (I'm getting a pizza. I'll eat it right away).

Indirect Object Pronouns

Italian English
Mi To me
Ti To you (singular, informal)
Gli / Le To him / To her or To you (singular, formal)
Ci To us
Vi To you all
Gli To them

Examples:
Ho regalato dei fiori a Maria. Gli piaceranno (I gave flowers to Maria. She will like them);
Ti ho scritto una lettera (I wrote you a letter).

Summary

Ok, let’s sum up.
In this lesson, you learned how to use Italian pronouns. In addition, you should memorize the new words used in the examples.
Cantante (singer)
Qui (here)
Bene (well)
Subito (immediately)
Fiori (flowers)
Lettera (letter)
Now try to memorize all Italian pronouns and new words. We will see you in the next lesson, which will deal with the very useful Italian verb essere (to be).
Good luck!