Pronouns: Combined Forms

01

The Basic Structure: Indirect Before Direct

The fundamental rule is that the indirect object pronoun always comes before the direct object pronoun. This structure creates a more fluid and natural-sounding sentence.

Indirect Pronoun + Direct Pronoun + Verb

Consider the sentence "He gives the book to me":

• Full sentence: Lui dà il libro a me.
• With indirect pronoun: Lui mi dà il libro.
• With combined pronouns: Lui me lo dà.

02

First and Second Person Combinations

When the indirect object pronouns mi (to me), ti (to you), ci (to us), and vi (to you all) are combined with a direct object pronoun, they change their vowel from 'i' to 'e'.

• mi becomes me: me lo, me la, me li, me le, me ne
• ti becomes te: te lo, te la, te li, te le, te ne
• ci becomes ce: ce lo, ce la, ce li, ce le, ce ne
• vi becomes ve: ve lo, ve la, ve li, ve le, ve ne

The direct object pronoun (lo, la, li, le, ne) does not change.

• Mi prepari un caffè? → Me lo prepari?

  Will you prepare it (a coffee) for me?

• Ti ho scritto la lettera. → Te l'ho scritta.

  I wrote it (the letter) to you.

• Il professore ci spiega le regole. → Ce le spiega.

  The professor explains them (the rules) to us.

• Vi porto i documenti domani. → Ve li porto domani.

  I'll bring them (the documents) to you all tomorrow.

• Mi dai un po' di zucchero? → Me ne dai un po'?

  Can you give me some of it (of the sugar)?

03

Third Person Combinations with 'glie-'

The third-person indirect pronouns gli (to him), le (to her), and loro (to them) all merge into a single, convenient form: glie-. This prefix is then attached directly to the direct object pronoun to form one word.

This means glie- can mean to him, to her, or to them. The specific meaning is determined by the context of the conversation.

• gli/le/loro + lo → glielo (it to him/her/them)
• gli/le/loro + la → gliela (it to him/her/them)
• gli/le/loro + li → glieli (them to him/her/them)
• gli/le/loro + le → gliele (them to him/her/them)
• gli/le/loro + ne → gliene (some of it to him/her/them)

• Dico la verità a Marco. → Gliela dico.

  I'm telling it (the truth) to him.

• Ho prestato la mia macchina a Sara. → Gliel'ho prestata.

  I lent it (my car) to her.

• Mando le email ai miei colleghi. → Gliele mando.

  I'm sending them (the emails) to them.

• Se vuole delle mele, gliene do due.

  If he wants some apples, I'll give him two (of them).

04

Placement of Combined Pronouns

The position of the combined pronoun depends on the verb form.

1. Before a conjugated verb: This is the most common placement.

• Te lo dico una volta sola.

  I'm telling it to you only once.

• Ce l'hanno promesso.

  They promised it to us.

2. Attached to an infinitive: The pronoun attaches to the end of the infinitive verb, which drops its final -e.

• Voglio dirtelo subito.

  I want to tell it to you right away.

• Siamo qui per spiegarvelo.

  We are here to explain it to you all.

3. Attached to a gerund (-ando/-endo): The pronoun attaches directly to the end of the gerund.

• Sto scrivendogliela adesso.

  I am writing it to him/her/them now.

• Me lo stava dicendo quando sei arrivato.

  He was telling it to me when you arrived.

4. Attached to a positive imperative (command): The pronoun attaches to the end of the imperative. For imperatives with one syllable (da', di', fa', sta', va'), the first consonant of the pronoun is doubled (except for gli).

• Dammelo!

  Give it to me!

• Diccelo!

  Tell it to us!

• Faglielo sapere.

  Let him/her/them know it.