Pronouns: Direct Objects

01

The Direct Object Pronouns

Here are the forms used to replace direct object nouns.

Singular

• me: mi
• you (informal): ti
• him / it (masculine): lo
• her / it (feminine): la

Plural

• us: ci
• you all: vi
• them (masculine): li
• them (feminine): le

Note that lo and la can be shortened to l' before a verb that starts with a vowel or the letter 'h'.

• Dov'è la penna? L'ho vista sul tavolo.

  Where is the pen? I saw it on the table.

02

Placement of Pronouns

The position of a direct object pronoun in a sentence depends on the form of the verb.

1. Before a Conjugated Verb

This is the most common placement. The pronoun comes directly before a verb in any simple tense (present, future, imperfect, etc.).

• Mi senti?

  Do you hear me?

• Non la conosco.

  I don't know her.

• Li inviteremo alla festa.

  We will invite them to the party.

2. Attached to the End of a Verb

In certain cases, the pronoun is attached directly to the end of the verb, forming one word.

• With Infinitives: The pronoun attaches to the infinitive form (e.g., mangiare, vedere). The final "-e" of the infinitive is dropped before adding the pronoun.

• Voglio comprarlo.

  I want to buy it. (from comprare + lo)

• È importante sentirli.

  It's important to hear them. (from sentire + li)

• With Gerunds (-ando, -endo): The pronoun attaches to the end of the gerund.

• Sto mangiandola.

  I am eating it. (the pizza, for example)

• Stavamo cercandoti.

  We were looking for you.

• With Imperatives (Commands): The pronoun attaches to the end of informal commands (tu, noi, voi).

• Prendilo!

  Take it!

• Aiutaci, per favore.

  Help us, please.

03

With Compound Tenses (e.g., Passato Prossimo)

In compound tenses, which use an auxiliary verb like avere, the direct object pronoun is placed before the auxiliary verb.

When using lo, la, li, or le, the past participle must agree in gender and number with the pronoun.

• Hai visto il film? Sì, l'ho visto.

  Did you see the movie? Yes, I saw it.

• Hai comprato la macchina? Sì, l'ho comprata.

  Did you buy the car? Yes, I bought it.

• Hai chiamato i tuoi amici? Sì, li ho chiamati.

  Did you call your friends? Yes, I called them.

• Hai finito le lezioni? Sì, le ho finite.

  Did you finish the lessons? Yes, I finished them.

This agreement is optional for mi, ti, ci, and vi, and is less common in modern speech.

04

With Modal Verbs (dovere, potere, volere)

With modal verbs followed by an infinitive, you have two correct options for placement:

1. Before the modal verb.

• La devo chiamare.

  I have to call her.

• Li vogliamo vedere.

  We want to see them.

2. Attached to the infinitive.

• Devo chiamarla.

  I have to call her.

• Vogliamo vederli.

  We want to see them.

Both placements are correct and have the same meaning.

05

With 'Ecco'

Direct object pronouns can be attached to the word ecco (here is/are).

• Eccomi!

  Here I am!

• Dov'è il gatto? Eccolo!

  Where is the cat? Here he is!

• Ecco le chiavi! Le ho trovate.

  Here are the keys! I found them.