Italian personal pronouns: mastering their usage

In brief

Basic forms: io, tu, lui/lei, noi, voi, loro represent the people who are speaking
Optional use: subject pronouns can be omitted as verb endings are sufficient
Formal address: Lei (singular) and Loro (plural) mark formal politeness
Flexible position: object pronouns are placed before or after the verb depending on the context

Personal pronouns form the foundation of any conversation in Italian. They allow us to refer to the people participating in the exchange without constantly repeating their names. This lesson details how they work and their specific features compared to English.

Subject personal pronouns

Subject pronouns indicate who performs the action of the verb. Italian has a remarkable feature: these pronouns can be omitted because the verb endings already indicate the person.

Person	Italian pronoun	English translation	Example
1st singular	io	I	(Io) parlo = (I) speak
2nd singular	tu	you	(Tu) parli = (you) speak
3rd singular	lui/lei	he/she	(Lui) parla = (he) speaks
1st plural	noi	we	(Noi) parliamo = (we) speak
2nd plural	voi	you	(Voi) parlate = (you) speak
3rd plural	loro	they	(Loro) parlano = (they) speak

The forms egli (he) and ella (she) also exist but are only used in very formal or literary style. In everyday conversation, lui and lei systematically replace these archaic forms. Unlike English, Italian allows the subject pronoun to be omitted because the verb ending is sufficient to identify the person:

Parlo italiano = I speak Italian
Mangiamo insieme = We eat together
Arrivano domani = They arrive tomorrow

When to use subject pronouns

Although optional, subject pronouns prove necessary in certain specific situations to avoid any ambiguity or reinforce the meaning. To emphasise the person who acts: Io studio medicina, tu studi ingegneria = I study medicine, you study engineering To avoid confusion between two people: Lui lavora in banca, lei insegna a scuola = He works at the bank, she teaches at school After certain expressions or conjunctions: Anche io vengo alla festa = I’m coming to the party too Secondo me, tu hai ragione = In my opinion, you’re right In exclamatory or interrogative sentences: Tu! Cosa fai qui? = You! What are you doing here? E io che pensavo di essere in ritardo! = And I thought I was late!

Forms of politeness

Italian carefully distinguishes the familiar register from the formal register through specific pronouns of politeness. Lei (with capital letter) replaces tu in formal situations. This feminine pronoun always agrees in the feminine even when addressing a man: Scusi, Lei dove abita? = Excuse me, where do you live? Lei è molto gentile = You are very kind Loro (with capital letter) constitutes the formal form in the plural, although it is gradually being replaced by voi in modern usage:

Loro sono i nostri ospiti = You are our guests (very formal form) Voi siete i benvenuti = You are welcome (common form) The choice between tu and Lei depends on several factors: age, hierarchical relationship, professional or social context. Younger generations tend to use tu more easily, whilst professional contexts favour Lei.

Direct object personal pronouns

These pronouns replace a direct object complement (which answers the question “who?” or “what?”). They are generally placed before the conjugated verb.

Person	Pronoun	Translation	Example
1st singular	mi	me	Mi vede = He sees me
2nd singular	ti	you	Ti chiamo = I call you
3rd singular masc.	lo	him	Lo conosco = I know him
3rd singular fem.	la	her	La incontro = I meet her
1st plural	ci	us	Ci aspetta = He waits for us
2nd plural	vi	you	Vi ringrazio = I thank you
3rd plural	li/le	them	Li vedo (masc.) / Le vedo (fem.)

The formal form uses La (with capital letter) in the singular: Direttore, La ringrazio per il tempo che mi ha dedicato = Director, I thank you for the time you have given me With the infinitive, gerund and imperative, pronouns are attached to the verb: Voglio vederti = I want to see you Guardandola, ho capito tutto = Looking at her, I understood everything Chiamami domani = Call me tomorrow

Indirect object personal pronouns

These pronouns replace an indirect object complement, generally introduced by the preposition “a” (to). They answer the question “to whom?”.

Person	Pronoun	Translation	Example
1st singular	mi	me	Mi parla = He speaks to me
2nd singular	ti	you	Ti telefono = I phone you
3rd singular	gli/le	him/her	Gli scrivo = I write to him
1st plural	ci	us	Ci racconta = He tells us
2nd plural	vi	you	Vi spiego = I explain to you
3rd plural	gli	them	Gli rispondo = I answer them

Gli tends to replace le (to her) and loro (to them) in modern Italian: Traditional: Parlo a Maria → Le parlo Modern: Parlo a Maria → Gli parlo The formal form uses Le (with capital letter): Professore, Le volevo chiedere una cosa = Professor, I wanted to ask you something

Reflexive pronouns

Reflexive pronouns indicate that the action of the verb falls back on the subject itself. They accompany pronominal and reflexive verbs. Mi (myself), ti (yourself), si (himself/herself), ci (ourselves), vi (yourselves), si (themselves) Examples with the verb lavarsi (to wash oneself):

Io mi lavo = I wash myself
Tu ti lavi = You wash yourself
Lui/lei si lava = He/she washes himself/herself
Noi ci laviamo = We wash ourselves
Voi vi lavate = You wash yourselves
Loro si lavano = They wash themselves

Some verbs change meaning depending on whether they are reflexive or not:

Chiamare = to call → chiamarsi = to be called Mi chiamo Marco = My name is Marco Chiamo mia madre = I call my mother

Combined pronouns

When a verb has both a direct and indirect complement, the pronouns combine according to precise rules. The indirect pronoun always precedes the direct pronoun. Me lo (it to me), te la (it to you), glielo (it to him/them), ce ne (some to us), ve li (them to you) Progressive transformation: Marco dà il libro a me → Marco mi dà il libro → Marco me lo dà Marco gives the book to me → Marco gives me the book → Marco gives it to me Other examples of common combinations: Te lo spiego domani = I’ll explain it to you tomorrow Gliela porto subito = I’ll bring it to him/her straight away Ce ne parla sempre = He always talks to us about it With compound tenses, the past participle agrees with the direct pronoun: Gli ho dato le chiavi → Gliele ho date = I gave them to him

Practical exercise

Test your knowledge of Italian personal pronouns:

Question 1: Which sentence correctly uses the direct object pronoun? Vedo lui ogni giorno Lo vedo ogni giorno Gli vedo ogni giorno Le vedo ogni giorno

To replace a masculine singular direct object complement, we use “lo” placed before the verb.

Question 2: How do you say “I phone her” in modern Italian? La telefono Le telefono Gli telefono Li telefono

In modern Italian, “gli” tends to replace “le” (to her) for the feminine indirect object.

Question 3: What is the correct formal form to address a man? Lei è molto gentile Lui è molto gentile Tu sei molto gentile Voi siete molto gentile

“Lei” is the formal form used even when addressing a man, with feminine agreement of the verb.

Question 4: How do you combine “I give it to you” with pronouns? Lo ti do Ti lo do Te lo do Lo te do

In combined pronouns, the indirect precedes the direct and “ti” becomes “te” before “lo”.

Question 5: When can you omit the subject pronoun in Italian? Never, it is obligatory Only in the singular Only in the plural In most cases

The subject pronoun can be omitted because Italian verb endings already indicate the person.

Question 6: Where is the pronoun placed with an infinitive? Always before the infinitive Attached to the end of the infinitive Separate after the infinitive At the beginning of the sentence

With the infinitive, the pronoun is attached to the end of the verb: “vederti” (to see you), “chiamarlo” (to call him).