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We
already know Italian subject pronouns io,
tu,
lui/lei,
noi,
voi
and
loro, which
indicate the subject of the sentence who carries out the action. But
besides the subject, a sentence can have a direct
object: the thing, person or animal who represents the recipient of
the action of the verb.
While subject pronouns
replace the subject of the sentence, direct pronouns (pronomi
diretti) are used to substitute direct objects. Direct pronouns
answer to the question: “chi?”
(whom?) or “che
cosa?” (what?)
You can better understand
them with some examples.
- Leggi spesso il giornale? (Do you often read the newspaper?)
- Sì, lo leggo spesso. (Yes, I read it often)
In this phrase the pronoun
LO replace the word giornale (Sì, leggo spesso
il giornale).
Here are direct pronouns we
use in Italian language:
MI = me
TI = you
LO – LA = it, him,
her (La can be used
to replace you in formal sentence)
CI = us
VI = you
LI – LE = them
While in English direct
pronouns are placed after the verb, in Italian they must be placed
before, unless the verb is in the infinitive form. In this case, the pronoun is attached to the ending of the verb after
dropping the final –E of
the infinitive.
- Vado a leggere il libro in camera da letto. = Vado a leggerlo in camera da letto. (I am going to read the book in the bedroom)
If the sentence is negative,
direct pronoun must be placed after the negation “non”
and before the verb.
- Guardi spesso la televisione? (Do you often watch television?)
No, non la guardo mai. (No, I never watch it)
Singular direct pronouns LO
and LA drop the vowel and take the apostrophe before a verb
that begins with a vowel or with an H, while direct
pronouns LI and LE never take the apostrophe.
- Puoi accendere la luce, per favore? (Can you turn on the light, please?)
Sì, l’accendo subito. (Yes, I turn it on immediately)
- Chi accompagna Roberto e Massimo alla stazione? (Who accompanies Roberto and Massimo to the station?)
Li accompagna Maria. (Maria accompanies them)