Italian grammar · Beginner
Italian Direct Object Pronouns
Italian direct object pronouns (mi, ti, lo, la, ci, vi, li, le) replace the person or thing that receives the action of the verb, so vedo Marco becomes lo vedo. They are the most frequent of the Italian object pronouns. Unlike English, they normally go before the conjugated verb, not after it.
Hai visto Marco? Sì, l'ho visto ieri.
Have you seen Marco? Yes, I saw him yesterday.
What it is
A direct object answers the question what? or whom? after the verb, with no preposition in between. In Italian you replace it with a short pronoun that sits in front of the conjugated verb: leggo il libro becomes lo leggo, literally it I read. The pronoun takes the gender and number of the noun it replaces, so you choose between lo, la, li, and le by looking at that noun.
Conosci Giulia? Sì, la conosco bene. (Do you know Giulia? Yes, I know her well.)
How to spot it
Look for a short word right before the verb that is not the subject. If the verb takes its object directly, with no a or di in between, that word is a direct object pronoun.
- Ti chiamo stasera. (I'll call you tonight.)
- Li aspettiamo alla stazione. (We're waiting for them at the station.)
- La compro domani. (I'll buy it tomorrow. (la = la giacca, the jacket))
- Mi ascolti? (Are you listening to me?)
Several verbs take a direct object in Italian where English needs a preposition: aspettare (wait for), cercare (look for), ascoltare (listen to), guardare (look at). With these verbs, use lo, la, li, le.
Direct Object Pronouns Quick Reference
The direct object pronouns by person. Lo, la, li, and le change with the gender and number of the noun they replace.
| Person | Pronoun | English | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| io | mi | me | Mi vedi? (Can you see me?) |
| tu | ti | you (informal) | Ti aspetto. (I'll wait for you.) |
| lui | lo | him, it (masculine) | Lo conosco. (I know him.) |
| lei | la | her, it (feminine) | La chiamo. (I'll call her.) |
| Lei (formal) | La | you (formal) | La ringrazio. (Thank you.) |
| noi | ci | us | Ci invitano. (They're inviting us.) |
| voi | vi | you (plural) | Vi sento. (I can hear you.) |
| loro (masculine or mixed) | li | them | Li vedo spesso. (I see them often.) |
| loro (feminine) | le | them | Le compro. (I'm buying them.) |
Common Direct Object Pronouns Examples in Italian
Direct object pronouns in everyday sentences:
People
- Conosci Luca? No, non lo conosco.
- Do you know Luca? No, I don't know him.
- Le ragazze? Le vedo domani.
- The girls? I'll see them tomorrow.
Non goes before the pronoun. Nothing can come between the pronoun and the verb.
Things
- Il caffè lo prendo senza zucchero.
- I take my coffee without sugar. (literally: the coffee, I take it without sugar)
- Dove sono le chiavi? Non le trovo.
- Where are the keys? I can't find them.
Spoken Italian often names the object first and then repeats it with a pronoun. This is normal, not an error.
In the Passato Prossimo
- La pizza? L'ho già mangiata.
- The pizza? I've already eaten it.
- I biglietti? Li ho comprati online.
- The tickets? I bought them online.
- Le foto? Le abbiamo viste ieri.
- The photos? We saw them yesterday.
With avere, the past participle agrees with lo, la, li, or le placed before it. Lo and la become l' before ho, hai, ha, and hanno.
With Infinitives and Commands
- Devo chiamarlo stasera.
- I have to call him tonight.
- Prendilo, è tuo.
- Take it, it's yours.
Here the pronoun attaches to the end of the verb and is written as one word with it.
Where Italian Object Pronouns Go
Placement is the hard part. These rules apply to direct object pronouns and to every other unstressed pronoun in Italian.
Before the Conjugated Verb
In a normal statement or question, the pronoun goes directly before the conjugated verb. In a negative sentence, non comes first, then the pronoun, then the verb.
Non la vedo da mesi.
I haven't seen her in months.
non + pronoun + verb.
Attached to the Infinitive
An infinitive drops its final -e and the pronoun attaches to the end: vedere becomes vederlo. With dovere, potere, and volere you can also put the pronoun before the conjugated modal verb. Both orders are correct.
Voglio vederlo. Lo voglio vedere.
I want to see him. (both orders mean the same)
vedere → vederlo.
Attached to the Gerund
A gerund also takes the pronoun on its end. With stare + gerund, the pronoun usually goes before stare instead: lo sto leggendo (I'm reading it).
Guardandola, ho capito che era stanca.
Looking at her, I realized she was tired.
guardando + la = guardandola.
Attached to Informal Commands
In affirmative commands with tu, noi, and voi, the pronoun attaches to the end of the verb. With the one-syllable commands da', di', fa', sta', and va', the first consonant of the pronoun doubles. With the formal Lei, the pronoun goes before the verb: lo prenda pure (go ahead and take it).
Chiamami domani.
Call me tomorrow.
fa' + lo = fallo, di' + mi = dimmi.
Past Participle Agreement
In compound tenses with avere, the participle normally ends in -o. When lo, la, li, or le comes before it, the participle agrees with that pronoun in gender and number. With mi, ti, ci, and vi the agreement is optional.
Maria? L'ho vista al mercato.
Maria? I saw her at the market.
la + ho visto = l'ho vista.
Lo for a Whole Idea
Lo can stand for a whole statement, where English says it or nothing at all. This is why Italians say lo so (I know) and non lo so (I don't know).
Sai dov'è Paolo? No, non lo so.
Do you know where Paolo is? No, I don't know.
lo so = I know (it).
Common Mistakes with Direct Object Pronouns
Incorrect: Vedo lo. (I see him.)
Correct: Lo vedo. (I see him.)
English puts the object after the verb, so learners copy that order. In Italian the pronoun goes before a conjugated verb.
Incorrect: La pizza? L'ho mangiato. (The pizza? I ate it.)
Correct: La pizza? L'ho mangiata. (The pizza? I ate it.)
L' stands for la here, so the participle must be feminine. The apostrophe hides the pronoun, but the agreement still applies.
Incorrect: Aspetto per loro. (I'm waiting for them.)
Correct: Li aspetto. (I'm waiting for them.)
Aspettare means to wait for. It takes a direct object, so there is no per and the pronoun is li.
Incorrect: Devo lo chiamare. (I have to call him.)
Correct: Devo chiamarlo. (I have to call him.)
The pronoun can go before devo (lo devo chiamare) or on the end of the infinitive (devo chiamarlo), but never between them.
Direct Object Pronouns in Special Combinations
Three situations change the shape or the position of the pronoun.
Combined With an Indirect Pronoun
When a direct pronoun meets an indirect one, the indirect pronoun comes first and mi, ti, ci, vi change to me, te, ce, ve. Gli and le both become glie- and join the direct pronoun in one word.
- Me lo presti?
- Will you lend it to me?
- Te la porto domani.
- I'll bring it to you tomorrow.
- Glielo dico io.
- I'll tell him. (glielo = to him + it)
The full set of combined pronouns is on the indirect object pronouns page.
After Ecco
Ecco (here is, there is) takes the pronoun on its end, like an informal command.
- Dov'è il telefono? Eccolo.
- Where's the phone? Here it is.
- Eccoci!
- Here we are.
Eccomi means here I am, and eccole means here they are (feminine).
La as Formal You
For the formal you, use La for both men and women, with a third-person verb. Many people write it with a capital L in letters and emails.
- La ringrazio per la pazienza.
- Thank you for your patience. (formal)
- Signor Rossi, La chiamo domani.
- Mr Rossi, I'll call you tomorrow.
La stays La even when you speak to a man, because it refers to Lei.
Quick Check: Direct Object Pronouns
Fill in the blank with the correct pronoun or participle.
1. Vedi Marta stasera? Sì, ___ vedo alle otto.
Answer: la
Marta is feminine singular.
2. Hai comprato i biglietti? Sì, li ho ___.
Answer: comprati
The participle agrees with li (masculine plural).
3. Devo finire il lavoro. Devo ___ entro venerdì.
Answer: finirlo
The pronoun attaches to the infinitive, which drops its final -e.
4. Le chiavi? Non ___ trovo.
Answer: le
Chiavi is feminine plural.
5. Ecco il libro. ___! (take it, informal command)
Answer: Prendilo!
Affirmative tu commands take the pronoun on the end.
Direct Object Pronouns FAQs
- What are the Italian direct object pronouns?
- They are mi (me), ti (you), lo (him, it), la (her, it), La (formal you), ci (us), vi (you plural), li (them, masculine or mixed), and le (them, feminine). Lo, la, li, and le agree with the noun they replace.
- Where do direct object pronouns go in Italian?
- Before the conjugated verb: lo vedo, non lo vedo, l'ho visto. They attach to the end of infinitives (vederlo), gerunds (vedendolo), informal affirmative commands (guardalo), and ecco (eccolo). With dovere, potere, and volere you can choose: lo devo fare or devo farlo.
- When does the past participle agree with the object pronoun?
- In compound tenses with avere, the participle agrees when lo, la, li, or le comes before it: l'ho vista, li ho visti, le ho viste. With mi, ti, ci, and vi the agreement is optional, so ci ha visto and ci ha visti are both correct.
- What is the difference between lo and gli?
- Lo is a direct object pronoun (him, it): lo vedo, I see him. Gli is an indirect object pronoun (to him, and in speech to them): gli parlo, I speak to him. Check whether the verb takes a before the person. If it does, use gli.
- Why do Italians say lo so?
- Sapere needs an object, and lo stands for the whole fact you know. English drops it (I know), but Italian keeps it: lo so, non lo so. The same lo appears in lo penso (I think so) and te lo dico (I'm telling you).