Italian Italian Grammar: Pronouns Subject Pronouns, Object Pronouns, Use Of Lei

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Carla Wednesday 05th of October 2005 05:36:21 AM
Italian grammar: pronouns - [b]SUBJECT PRONOUNS IN ITALIAN[/b]

Singular
[color=blue][b]Io[/b] [/color] = I
[color=blue] [b]Tu[/b] [/color] = you (familiar singular)
[color=blue] [b] lui (egli) [/b] [/color] = he
[color=blue] [b]lei (ella) [/b] [/color] = she
[color=blue] [b]Lei[/b] [/color] = you (formal)
[color=blue] [b] (Esso, Essa) [/b] [/color] = it (things only)

Plural
[color=blue] [b] Noi[/b] [/color] = We
[color=blue] [b]Voi[/b] [/color] = You (familiar plural)
[color=blue] [b] Loro[/b] [/color] = They
[color=blue] [b] (Essi, esse) [/b] [/color] = They (masc., fem.)

Notice that the pronouns in brackets are [u]very little used[/u] in spoken language.

Remarks

1. In everyday spoken Italian the former 3rd person subject pronouns [color=blue]egli, ella, essi/esse[/color] have been replaced by the corresponding object pronouns [color=blue]lui, lei, loro [/color].
Though, you may still find egli and ella in stories and novels.
Esso, essa are used for things only, while essi is used for people also.

2. The pronoun [color=blue]lei[/color] in Italian is used in [b]formal expressions[/b].

3. [b]Subject pronouns in Italian are often left out[/b], since the verb endings usually indicate person and number.
An Italian speaker would likely say:
“Mi chiamo Giovanni e abito a Roma” - “My name is Giovanni and I live in Rome” rather than “Io mi chiamo Giovanni e io abito a Roma”.

Subject pronouns are [b]needed in some particular cases[/b]:
* [b]for clarity[/b]
For example, the sentence: “voglio che studi di più” is ambiguous, because the subjunctive form “studi” is the same for the 3 singular persons (io, tu, lui/lei), so you have to specify who is meant to carry on the action:
Voglio che [b]tu[/b] studi di più= I want you to study more
Voglio che [b]lui[/b] studi di più = I want him to study more
Voglio che [b]lei[/b] studi di più = I want her to study more

* when modified by [b]anche[/b]
Io abito a Roma – I live in Rome
Anch’io abito a Roma ([u]not[/u] anche abito a Roma) = I live in Rome too

* When [b]emphasis or contrast [/b] are needed
Io mi chiamo Giovanni, tu come ti chiami? – My name is Giovanni, what’s your name?

Carla Wednesday 05th of October 2005 06:06:28 AM
Formal and Informal expressions - The formal â€œyouâ€ in Italian - The Italian pronouns Tu, Lei and Voi all mean "you".

When addressing people in Italian two different forms are used: familiar form and polite form.

[b]FAMILIAR FORM – TU [/b]

The familiar form is used only with [u]family members, children, close friends, colleagues.[/u]

In the familiar form, the 2nd person pronoun [b][color=blue]TU [/color][/b] (you – familiar) is used.

Tu sei molto gentile / Sei molto gentile - You are very kind
Tu vuoi bere qualcosa? / Vuoi bere qualcosa? – Would you like something to drink?

Remarks
1. As said before, [b]subject pronouns in Italian are usually left out[/b], but the verb declension (sei, vuoi) tells that you are using the 2nd person singular.

2. Notice the idiom [b]darsi del tu[/b] = “to switch to the tu form”.
As you get on familiar terms with someone, you may ask (or be invited by) that person:
“possiamo darci del tu?” – “can we switch to the tu form?”.
Children are always addressed as tu, and young people or work fellows normally use the tu form with each other.

[b]POLITE FORM - LEI[/b]

The polite form is used in formal situations, when addressing [u]someone you don't know well or you are not very familiar with[/u] (a stranger, a shop assistant, a teacher), and when addressing [u]someone older than you.[/u]

In formal situations the following pronouns are used:

[b][color=blue]LEI[/color] [/b] (formal “you” - for one person, man or woman)
[b][color=blue]LORO[/color] [/b] (formal you – for more than one person)

Let’s put the the above sentences in polite form:

SINGULAR – to one person
Lei è molto gentile / E’ molto gentile - You are very kind
Lei vuole bere qualcosa? / Vuole bere qualcosa? – Would you like something to drink?

PLURAL – to more than one person
Loro sono molto gentili / sono molto gentili - You are very kind
Loro vogliono bere qualcosa? / Vogliono bere qualcosa? – Would you like something to drink?

As you can see, the verb declensions tell that you are using the 3rd person singular (è, vuole) or plural (sono, vogliono).

Remarks
1.[b] Lei[/b] (formal you – one person) and [b]Loro[/b] (formal you – more than one person) should be [b]capitalized[/b] to distinguish them from lei (she) and loro (they), though the capitalization of Lei, is becoming less and less common.

2. Though [b]lei[/b] is a feminine pronoun, usually adjectives and past participles don’t agree in gender with Lei if the subject is masculine:
For example, when talking to a man, you should say: Lei è simpatico (not simpatica).

3. Nowadays in spoken Italian the formal [b]Loro is very little used[/b] (it sounds extremely formal) and tends to be replaced with “voi”.
“Loro vogliono bere qualcosa?” / “Vogliono bere qualcosa?”
would be often replaced by
“Voi volete bere qualcosa?” / “Volete bere qualcosa?”

Carla Saturday 25th of February 2006 08:31:13 AM
Direct objects pronouns - [b]DIRECT OBJECT PRONOUNS[/b]

A [b]direct object[/b] is a noun or pronoun that receives the action of a verb; it answers the question "What?" or "Whom?".
Verbs that take a direct object are called [b] transitive verbs[/b], whereas verbs that do not take a direct object (i.e. camminare, parlare) are intransitive.

In Italian the forms of the direct object pronouns (Pronomi diretti or pronomi personali complemento oggetto) are as follows:

[b][color=blue]Mi[/color] = me
[color=blue]Ti[/color] = you (singular - informal)
[color=blue]Lo[/color] = him, it / [color=blue]la[/color] = her, it, you (singular - formal)
[color=blue]Ci[/color] = us
[color=blue]Vi[/color] = you (plural – both formal and informal)
[color=blue]Li/le[/color] = them[/b]

1. Direct object pronouns always [b]precede a conjugated verb[/b]. In negative sentences, they are placed after the word “non”.
2. They may also be [b]attached to an infinitive, gerund, and informal imperative[/b]; when they are attached to an infinitive, the final –e of the infinitive is dropped. They are sometimes attached to the word “ecco” to mean “here it is”, “here he is” and so on.
3. In a compound tense the [b]past participle agrees with the direct object pronoun[/b].

Examples:
[i]Dov’è la tua macchina? Non [color=blue]la[/color] vedo – Where is your car? I can’t see it
Senti questo rumore? Si [color=blue]lo[/color] sento / no, non riesco a sentir[color=blue]lo[/color] – Can you hear that noise? Yes I can hear it / No I can’t hear it
Hai invitato i tuoi amici? Sì, [color=blue]li[/color] ho invitati – Did you invite your friends? Yes, I invited them
Prendi quel libro e porta[color=blue]lo[/color] qui – Take that book and bring it here

Dov’è la bambina ? Ecco[color=blue]la[/color]! - Where is the little girl? Here she is!
E’ arrivato il tuo amico? Sì, ecco[color=blue]lo[/color]! - Has your friend arrived? Yes, here he is! [/i]

Carla Saturday 25th of February 2006 08:35:56 AM
Indirect object pronouns in Italian - [b]INDIRECT OBJECT PRONOUNS[/b]

Indirect object nouns and pronouns answer the question: to whom? or for whom?
In English the preposition before an indirect object is often omitted, whereas in Italian it is always needed.
Indirect object pronouns (i pronomi indiretti) replace indirect object nouns. They are identical in form to direct object pronouns, except for the third person forms gli, le, and loro.

In Italian the forms of the indirect object pronouns (Pronomi indiretti) are as follows:

[b] [color=blue]Mi[/color] = (to/for) me
[color=blue]Ti[/color] = (to/for) you
[color=blue]Gli[/color] = (to/for) him / [color=blue]le[/color] = (to/for) her / [color=blue]Le[/color] = (to/for) you (formal, singular - masc. and fem.)
[color=blue]Ci[/color] = (to/for) us
[color=blue]Vi[/color] = (to/for) you
[color=blue]Loro[/color] = (to/for) them / Loro = (to/for) you (formal, plural – masc. and fem.)[/b]

1. Indirect object pronouns, like direct object pronouns, [b]precede a conjugated verb, except for loro[/b] and Loro, which follow the verb.
2. Indirect object pronouns may be [b]attached to an infinitive, imperative and gerund[/b]. When they are attached to an infinitive, the final –e of the infinitive is dropped.
3. If the infinitive is preceded by a form of dovere, potere, or volere, the indirect object pronoun is either attached to the infinitive (after the –e is dropped) or placed before the conjugated verb.

[i] [color=blue]Mi[/color] ha offerto un caffè - She offered me a coffee
Rispondi[color=blue]mi[/color] – Answer me
[color=blue]Ti[/color] ho spedito una lettera - I sent you a letter
Voglio parlar[color=blue]gli[/color]/[color=blue]Gli[/color] voglio parlare - I want to talk to him
Non ho tempo di parlar[color=blue]gli[/color] - I have no time to talk to him
[color=blue]Le[/color] ha regalato un anello – He gave her a ring
[color=blue]Le[/color] ho comprato un libro - I bought her a book
[color=blue]Gli[/color] ho telefonato - I phoned him
[color=blue]Ci[/color] ha mostrato le foto – He showed us the photos
[color=blue]Vi[/color] telefono domani – I’ll phone you tomorrow (plural you)
Ho dato [color=blue]loro[/color] il mio numero di telefono - I gave them my phone number[/i]

Phrasebase Archive
	Carla	Wednesday 05th of October 2005 05:36:21 AM
	Italian grammar: pronouns - [b]SUBJECT PRONOUNS IN ITALIAN[/b] Singular [color=blue][b]Io[/b] [/color] = I [color=blue] [b]Tu[/b] [/color] = you (familiar singular) [color=blue] [b] lui (egli) [/b] [/color] = he [color=blue] [b]lei (ella) [/b] [/color] = she [color=blue] [b]Lei[/b] [/color] = you (formal) [color=blue] [b] (Esso, Essa) [/b] [/color] = it (things only) Plural [color=blue] [b] Noi[/b] [/color] = We [color=blue] [b]Voi[/b] [/color] = You (familiar plural) [color=blue] [b] Loro[/b] [/color] = They [color=blue] [b] (Essi, esse) [/b] [/color] = They (masc., fem.) Notice that the pronouns in brackets are [u]very little used[/u] in spoken language. Remarks 1. In everyday spoken Italian the former 3rd person subject pronouns [color=blue]egli, ella, essi/esse[/color] have been replaced by the corresponding object pronouns [color=blue]lui, lei, loro [/color]. Though, you may still find egli and ella in stories and novels. Esso, essa are used for things only, while essi is used for people also. 2. The pronoun [color=blue]lei[/color] in Italian is used in [b]formal expressions[/b]. 3. [b]Subject pronouns in Italian are often left out[/b], since the verb endings usually indicate person and number. An Italian speaker would likely say: “Mi chiamo Giovanni e abito a Roma” - “My name is Giovanni and I live in Rome” rather than “Io mi chiamo Giovanni e io abito a Roma”. Subject pronouns are [b]needed in some particular cases[/b]: * [b]for clarity[/b] For example, the sentence: “voglio che studi di più” is ambiguous, because the subjunctive form “studi” is the same for the 3 singular persons (io, tu, lui/lei), so you have to specify who is meant to carry on the action: Voglio che [b]tu[/b] studi di più= I want you to study more Voglio che [b]lui[/b] studi di più = I want him to study more Voglio che [b]lei[/b] studi di più = I want her to study more * when modified by [b]anche[/b] Io abito a Roma – I live in Rome Anch’io abito a Roma ([u]not[/u] anche abito a Roma) = I live in Rome too * When [b]emphasis or contrast [/b] are needed Io mi chiamo Giovanni, tu come ti chiami? – My name is Giovanni, what’s your name?
	Carla	Wednesday 05th of October 2005 06:06:28 AM
	Formal and Informal expressions - The formal â€œyouâ€ in Italian - The Italian pronouns Tu, Lei and Voi all mean "you". When addressing people in Italian two different forms are used: familiar form and polite form. [b]FAMILIAR FORM – TU [/b] The familiar form is used only with [u]family members, children, close friends, colleagues.[/u] In the familiar form, the 2nd person pronoun [b][color=blue]TU [/color][/b] (you – familiar) is used. Tu sei molto gentile / Sei molto gentile - You are very kind Tu vuoi bere qualcosa? / Vuoi bere qualcosa? – Would you like something to drink? Remarks 1. As said before, [b]subject pronouns in Italian are usually left out[/b], but the verb declension (sei, vuoi) tells that you are using the 2nd person singular. 2. Notice the idiom [b]darsi del tu[/b] = “to switch to the tu form”. As you get on familiar terms with someone, you may ask (or be invited by) that person: “possiamo darci del tu?” – “can we switch to the tu form?”. Children are always addressed as tu, and young people or work fellows normally use the tu form with each other. [b]POLITE FORM - LEI[/b] The polite form is used in formal situations, when addressing [u]someone you don't know well or you are not very familiar with[/u] (a stranger, a shop assistant, a teacher), and when addressing [u]someone older than you.[/u] In formal situations the following pronouns are used: [b][color=blue]LEI[/color] [/b] (formal “you” - for one person, man or woman) [b][color=blue]LORO[/color] [/b] (formal you – for more than one person) Let’s put the the above sentences in polite form: SINGULAR – to one person Lei è molto gentile / E’ molto gentile - You are very kind Lei vuole bere qualcosa? / Vuole bere qualcosa? – Would you like something to drink? PLURAL – to more than one person Loro sono molto gentili / sono molto gentili - You are very kind Loro vogliono bere qualcosa? / Vogliono bere qualcosa? – Would you like something to drink? As you can see, the verb declensions tell that you are using the 3rd person singular (è, vuole) or plural (sono, vogliono). Remarks 1.[b] Lei[/b] (formal you – one person) and [b]Loro[/b] (formal you – more than one person) should be [b]capitalized[/b] to distinguish them from lei (she) and loro (they), though the capitalization of Lei, is becoming less and less common. 2. Though [b]lei[/b] is a feminine pronoun, usually adjectives and past participles don’t agree in gender with Lei if the subject is masculine: For example, when talking to a man, you should say: Lei è simpatico (not simpatica). 3. Nowadays in spoken Italian the formal [b]Loro is very little used[/b] (it sounds extremely formal) and tends to be replaced with “voi”. “Loro vogliono bere qualcosa?” / “Vogliono bere qualcosa?” would be often replaced by “Voi volete bere qualcosa?” / “Volete bere qualcosa?”
	Carla	Saturday 25th of February 2006 08:31:13 AM
	Direct objects pronouns - [b]DIRECT OBJECT PRONOUNS[/b] A [b]direct object[/b] is a noun or pronoun that receives the action of a verb; it answers the question "What?" or "Whom?". Verbs that take a direct object are called [b] transitive verbs[/b], whereas verbs that do not take a direct object (i.e. camminare, parlare) are intransitive. In Italian the forms of the direct object pronouns (Pronomi diretti or pronomi personali complemento oggetto) are as follows: [b][color=blue]Mi[/color] = me [color=blue]Ti[/color] = you (singular - informal) [color=blue]Lo[/color] = him, it / [color=blue]la[/color] = her, it, you (singular - formal) [color=blue]Ci[/color] = us [color=blue]Vi[/color] = you (plural – both formal and informal) [color=blue]Li/le[/color] = them[/b] 1. Direct object pronouns always [b]precede a conjugated verb[/b]. In negative sentences, they are placed after the word “non”. 2. They may also be [b]attached to an infinitive, gerund, and informal imperative[/b]; when they are attached to an infinitive, the final –e of the infinitive is dropped. They are sometimes attached to the word “ecco” to mean “here it is”, “here he is” and so on. 3. In a compound tense the [b]past participle agrees with the direct object pronoun[/b]. Examples: [i]Dov’è la tua macchina? Non [color=blue]la[/color] vedo – Where is your car? I can’t see it Senti questo rumore? Si [color=blue]lo[/color] sento / no, non riesco a sentir[color=blue]lo[/color] – Can you hear that noise? Yes I can hear it / No I can’t hear it Hai invitato i tuoi amici? Sì, [color=blue]li[/color] ho invitati – Did you invite your friends? Yes, I invited them Prendi quel libro e porta[color=blue]lo[/color] qui – Take that book and bring it here Dov’è la bambina ? Ecco[color=blue]la[/color]! - Where is the little girl? Here she is! E’ arrivato il tuo amico? Sì, ecco[color=blue]lo[/color]! - Has your friend arrived? Yes, here he is! [/i]
	Carla	Saturday 25th of February 2006 08:35:56 AM
	Indirect object pronouns in Italian - [b]INDIRECT OBJECT PRONOUNS[/b] Indirect object nouns and pronouns answer the question: to whom? or for whom? In English the preposition before an indirect object is often omitted, whereas in Italian it is always needed. Indirect object pronouns (i pronomi indiretti) replace indirect object nouns. They are identical in form to direct object pronouns, except for the third person forms gli, le, and loro. In Italian the forms of the indirect object pronouns (Pronomi indiretti) are as follows: [b] [color=blue]Mi[/color] = (to/for) me [color=blue]Ti[/color] = (to/for) you [color=blue]Gli[/color] = (to/for) him / [color=blue]le[/color] = (to/for) her / [color=blue]Le[/color] = (to/for) you (formal, singular - masc. and fem.) [color=blue]Ci[/color] = (to/for) us [color=blue]Vi[/color] = (to/for) you [color=blue]Loro[/color] = (to/for) them / Loro = (to/for) you (formal, plural – masc. and fem.)[/b] 1. Indirect object pronouns, like direct object pronouns, [b]precede a conjugated verb, except for loro[/b] and Loro, which follow the verb. 2. Indirect object pronouns may be [b]attached to an infinitive, imperative and gerund[/b]. When they are attached to an infinitive, the final –e of the infinitive is dropped. 3. If the infinitive is preceded by a form of dovere, potere, or volere, the indirect object pronoun is either attached to the infinitive (after the –e is dropped) or placed before the conjugated verb. [i] [color=blue]Mi[/color] ha offerto un caffè - She offered me a coffee Rispondi[color=blue]mi[/color] – Answer me [color=blue]Ti[/color] ho spedito una lettera - I sent you a letter Voglio parlar[color=blue]gli[/color]/[color=blue]Gli[/color] voglio parlare - I want to talk to him Non ho tempo di parlar[color=blue]gli[/color] - I have no time to talk to him [color=blue]Le[/color] ha regalato un anello – He gave her a ring [color=blue]Le[/color] ho comprato un libro - I bought her a book [color=blue]Gli[/color] ho telefonato - I phoned him [color=blue]Ci[/color] ha mostrato le foto – He showed us the photos [color=blue]Vi[/color] telefono domani – I’ll phone you tomorrow (plural you) Ho dato [color=blue]loro[/color] il mio numero di telefono - I gave them my phone number[/i]