10.2.2. Indirect-object pronouns

Indirect object pronouns are those that can answer the question: “to whom/for whom” or “to what/for what” is the action done? Following are some examples with indirect-object pronouns:

Gli dico la verità

I am telling him the truth.

Le compriamo un bel cappotto.

We are buying her a nice coat.

Following is the full set of indirect-object pronouns:

*Gli is the indirect-object pronoun for both “him” and “them”. Context and syntax will always make it clear who is being referred to. E.g.,

Gli ho scritto due volte ma non mi ha risposto.

I wrote him twice but he didn’t respond.

Gli ho parlato a lungo e mi hanno ascoltato.

I spoke to them at length and they listened to me.

* Note that in written Italian the third-person plural form loro is often used, and it always follows the verb, e.g.,

Ho detto loro di portare una torta.

I told them to bring a cake.

However, in spoken Italian the form gli is much more commonly used, e.g.,

Gli ho scritto un mese fa.

I wrote them one month ago.

Following is an example of how the same sentence can be expressed with the two (indirect-object) pronouns:

Non ho portato loro niente. (More likely to be expressed in written Italian.)

Non gli ho portato niente. (More likely to be expressed in spoken Italian.)

How to identify a verb that requires an indirect object (pronoun)

In Italian a lot of verbs related to speech (dire, parlare, rispondere), and to the passage of something from one person to another (dare, comprare, mandare), take an indirect object. These are similar to the English construction because they often require a preposition, e.g.,

Gli parlo domani. = I am speaking to him tomorrow.

Le mando il pacco domani. = I’m sending the package to her tomorrow.

There are several verbs that are constructed directly in English, but indirectly in Italian. Following are some of the more commonly used ones:

On the flip side, there are several verbs that are constructed indirectly in English, but directly in Italian. Following are some of the more commonly used ones: