Double Object Pronouns

What are double object pronouns?

In Italian, a sentence can have both an indirect object pronoun (to me, to you, to him/her...) and a direct object pronoun (it, them). When both appear together, the indirect pronoun comes first and undergoes a spelling change. The result is a compact two-word unit called a double object pronoun (pronome doppio). Example: 'She gave the book to me' becomes 'She gave it to me' becomes 'Me lo ha dato.' Learning these combined forms is essential for natural, fluent Italian at A2 level and beyond.

The glie- merger: gli and le become the same

One of the most important facts about double object pronouns is that gli (to him) and le (to her) both merge into the single prefix glie- before a direct object pronoun. This means glielo, gliela, glieli, gliele, and gliene can each mean 'to him' or 'to her' (or 'to them' for the plural gli). Context tells you which meaning applies. Note that glie- fuses with the direct pronoun to form a single written word (glielo, gliela, etc.), unlike the other forms which are written as two separate words (me lo, te la, ce ne, etc.). Examples: - Glielo do. — I give it to him. / I give it to her. - Gliene parlo. — I talk to him about it. / I talk to her about it. - Gliele mando. — I send them (f.) to him. / I send them (f.) to her.

Position of double object pronouns

Double object pronouns follow the same positioning rules as single pronouns: 1. BEFORE a conjugated verb: Me lo dai? (Will you give it to me?) 2. ATTACHED to an infinitive (drop final -e): Voglio darglielo. (I want to give it to him.) 3. ATTACHED to a gerund: Standotelo spiegando. (In the process of explaining it to you.) 4. ATTACHED to an affirmative imperative: Dammelo! (Give it to me!) — dammi + lo = dammelo. Short imperatives (da', di', fa', sta', va') double the first consonant of the pronoun. With MODAL VERBS (potere, volere, dovere) you have a choice — both are equally correct: - Pronouns BEFORE the modal: Te lo posso dire. (I can tell it to you.) - Pronouns ATTACHED to the infinitive: Posso dirtelo. (I can tell it to you.) For NEGATIVE IMPERATIVES, pronouns stay separate and go before the verb: Non me lo dire! (Don't tell it to me!)

• Me lo dai? — Will you give it to me?
• Te la mando domani. — I'll send it to you tomorrow.
• Glielo spiego subito. — I'll explain it to him/her right away.
• Ce li porta lui. — He brings them to us.
• Ve la dico dopo. — I'll tell it to you (plural) later.
• Gliene parlo io. — I'll speak to him/her about it.
• Me lo puoi dare? / Puoi darmelo? — Can you give it to me?
• Dammelo! — Give it to me! (affirmative imperative)
• Voglio spiegartelo. / Te lo voglio spiegare. — I want to explain it to you.
• Non me lo dire! — Don't tell it to me! (negative imperative)

Past participle agreement with double pronouns

In the passato prossimo with avere, when a direct object pronoun precedes the verb, the past participle must agree with that pronoun in gender and number. With double object pronouns, the DIRECT pronoun (the second element) controls agreement. - lo → participle ends in -o: Me lo ha dato. (He gave it (m.) to me.) — dato - la → participle ends in -a: Me l'ha data. (He gave it (f.) to me.) — data - li → participle ends in -i: Me li ha dati. (He gave them (m.) to me.) — dati - le → participle ends in -e: Me le ha date. (He gave them (f.) to me.) — date More examples: - Glielo ha spiegato. (He explained it (m.) to her.) — spiegato - Gliela ha mandata. (He sent it (f.) to her.) — mandata - Ce li hanno portati. (They brought them (m.) to us.) — portati - Ve le hanno date. (They gave them (f.) to you.) — date