Indirect Object Pronouns

What Are Indirect Object Pronouns?

Indirect object pronouns replace the indirect object of a sentence — the person (or thing) that receives the action indirectly. To find the indirect object, ask 'to whom?' or 'for whom?' after the verb. Example: Marco gives a book to Sofia. → To whom does Marco give the book? → To Sofia. 'Sofia' is the indirect object, and 'le' (to her) is the pronoun that replaces it. Common verbs that naturally take an indirect object include: dare (to give), dire (to say/tell), mandare (to send), scrivere (to write), telefonare (to phone), rispondere (to answer), chiedere (to ask), offrire (to offer), portare (to bring), regalare (to give as a gift), spiegare (to explain), insegnare (to teach), prestare (to lend), restituire (to return/give back), mostrare (to show), consigliare (to advise), raccontare (to tell/narrate), credere (to believe), piacere (to please/like), sembrare (to seem), bastare (to be enough), servire (to need/be needed), mancare (to miss/be lacking), dispiacere (to be sorry), interessare (to interest).

Position of Indirect Object Pronouns

Indirect object pronouns are usually placed immediately BEFORE the conjugated verb: • Mi dai il libro? (Are you giving me the book?) • Le ho mandato una cartolina. (I sent her a postcard.) • Non ci ha risposto. (He didn't answer us.) With modal verbs (potere, volere, dovere, sapere) and similar constructions, you have TWO options: 1. Before the modal verb: Ti voglio telefonare. / Le devo spiegare la lezione. 2. Attached to the infinitive (dropping the final -e): Voglio telefonarti. / Devo spiegarle la lezione. Both positions are equally correct. The attached form is common in spoken Italian.

Indirect vs. Direct Object Pronouns

Do not confuse indirect object pronouns with direct object pronouns. The key question is 'to whom?' (indirect) vs. 'whom/what?' (direct). Direct pronouns (answer 'whom/what?'): mi, ti, lo, la, ci, vi, li, le Indirect pronouns (answer 'to whom/for whom?'): mi, ti, gli, le, ci, vi, gli Notice that mi, ti, ci, and vi are THE SAME for both direct and indirect. The difference appears in the 3rd person: • Direct: lo (him/it masc.), la (her/it fem.), li (them masc.), le (them fem.) • Indirect: gli (to him), le (to her), gli (to them) Common errors: ✗ La telefono ogni giorno. (WRONG — telefonare takes indirect) ✓ Le telefono ogni giorno. (CORRECT — I phone her every day) ✗ Lo scrivo una lettera. (WRONG — scrivere takes indirect for the person) ✓ Gli scrivo una lettera. (CORRECT — I write him a letter)

• Mi hai mandato il documento? — Did you send me the document?
• Sì, ti ho mandato tutto ieri. — Yes, I sent you everything yesterday.
• Gli spiego la grammatica ogni martedì. — I explain grammar to him every Tuesday.
• Le ha regalato un fiore per il compleanno. — He gave her a flower for her birthday.
• Ci hanno insegnato le regole del gioco. — They taught us the rules of the game.
• Vi consiglio questo ristorante. — I recommend this restaurant to you (all).
• Gli restituirò i soldi la settimana prossima. — I'll return the money to them next week.
• Non mi ha detto la verità. — He didn't tell me the truth.
• Ti chiedo un favore. — I'm asking you a favour.
• Le ho mostrato le foto del viaggio. — I showed her the photos from the trip.

Special Verbs: piacere, mancare, servire, bastare, sembrare

A group of verbs in Italian work 'back to front' compared to English. The indirect object pronoun is the person who experiences something, while the grammatical subject is the thing experienced. piacere (to like / literally: to be pleasing to) • Mi piace il caffè. (I like coffee. / Coffee is pleasing to me.) • Ti piacciono questi film? (Do you like these films?) mancare (to miss / literally: to be lacking to) • Mi manchi. (I miss you. / You are lacking to me.) • Gli manca la sua famiglia. (He misses his family.) servire (to need / literally: to be needed by) • Ci serve un dizionario. (We need a dictionary.) • Ti servono le chiavi? (Do you need the keys?) bastare (to be enough / literally: to suffice for) • Mi bastano venti euro. (Twenty euros is enough for me.) • Vi basta questo? (Is this enough for you all?) sembrare (to seem) • Le sembra difficile. (It seems difficult to her.) • Ti sembra giusto? (Does it seem right to you?)