Lesson 14: Indirect object pronouns

Part 1: The main idea — direct vs indirect

A direct object answers "what / whom?"; an indirect object answers "to whom / for whom?":

Direct	Indirect
Vedo Marco. — I see Marco.	Scrivo a Marco. — I write to Marco.
Chiamo Anna. — I call Anna.	Telefono a Anna. — I phone (to) Anna.
Aspetto i miei amici. — I wait for my friends.	Mando una mail ai miei amici. — I send a mail to my friends.

The marker of an indirect object in Italian is the preposition a. "Give to someone", "say to someone", "write to someone" — a qualcuno. When you swap the noun for a pronoun, the preposition a vanishes, and the pronoun itself becomes an indirect pronoun.

The headline for English speakers: English sometimes hides the "to" — "I gave him the book" looks just like "I see him". Italian never hides it: gli ho dato il libro (indirect gli) vs l'ho visto (direct lo). Your test: insert "to" mentally. "Give to him" → gli. "See to him" — no — direct lo. If "to" fits, it's indirect.

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Part 2: The table — eight forms

Meaning	Indirect	English
to me	mi	to me
to you (tu)	ti	to you
to him	gli	to him
to her	le	to her
to us	ci	to us
to you (voi)	vi	to you (pl)
to them (m. and f.)	gli	to them

Compare with L13:

Meaning	Direct (L13)	Indirect (L14)
me / to me	mi	mi
you / to you	ti	ti
him / to him	lo	gli
her / to her	la	le
us / to us	ci	ci
you (pl) / to you (pl)	vi	vi
them / to them	li / le	gli

The new forms to learn: gli (to him / to them) and le (to her). Mi, ti, ci, vi are shared. Third person diverges.

Watch out #1: gli and le in the third person don't agree by number the way direct li/le do: gli is sg. m., but also pl. for everyone (the more bookish loro in this slot is formal; spoken Italian always uses gli). Le is only sg. f.

Watch out #2: le is a homonym with the direct feminine plural (le from L13 — "them", f.). Context decides: le compro (I buy them — f. pl., direct) vs le scrivo (I write to her — sg. f., indirect).

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Part 3: Placement — same as L13

Indirect pronouns follow the same placement rule: before the conjugated verb.

Italian	English
Gli scrivo una mail.	I write him a mail.
Le telefono ogni sera.	I phone her every evening.
Ti do il libro.	I give you the book.
Mi spieghi questa regola?	Will you explain this rule to me?
Vi mando una cartolina.	I'm sending you (pl.) a postcard.
Non gli rispondo mai.	I never answer them.

With a modal — the same two options:

Before the modal	Attached to the infinitive
Gli voglio scrivere.	Voglio scrivergli.
Le devo telefonare.	Devo telefonarle.
Ti posso dare un consiglio?	Posso darti un consiglio?

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Part 4: Six "dative" verbs

Some verbs by their nature require an indirect object — they have an addressee ("to whom") and often a direct object ("what"). Memorize this six-pack — it's the most common.

Italian	English	Example
dare	to give	Do il libro a Marco. → Gli do il libro.
dire	to say, to tell	Dico la verità a mia madre. → Le dico la verità.
scrivere	to write	Scrivo una mail al capo. → Gli scrivo una mail.
mandare	to send	Mando un regalo ai nonni. → Gli mando un regalo.
regalare	to give (as a gift)	Regalo un libro ad Anna. → Le regalo un libro.
spiegare	to explain	Spiego la lezione agli studenti. → Gli spiego la lezione.

Pattern: verb + what (direct) + a + to whom (indirect). Swap "to whom" for a pronoun — and gli/le/mi/ti… lands in front of the verb.

Other important verbs of the same class:

Italian	English
telefonare a qualcuno	to phone (to) someone
rispondere a qualcuno	to answer someone
chiedere a qualcuno	to ask someone (a question)
insegnare a qualcuno	to teach someone
raccontare a qualcuno	to tell someone (a story)
offrire a qualcuno	to offer someone
prestare a qualcuno	to lend (to) someone
portare a qualcuno	to bring to someone
consigliare a qualcuno	to advise someone
permettere a qualcuno	to allow someone

Trap for English speakers: English says "ask him" with no "to", as if it were a direct object. Italian chiedere a qualcuno is indirect: "I ask of him" → gli chiedo. Same with telefonare (phone someone), rispondere (answer someone) — English drops "to", Italian keeps the preposition and uses the indirect pronoun. The litmus test: in the Italian original sentence, is there an a before the addressee? If yes → indirect.

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Part 5: Direct + indirect in one sentence

If a sentence has both what and to whom — the normal order is direct first, then indirect (with a):

Do il libro a Marco. — I give the book to Marco.

When we replace one of them with a pronoun:

Only indirect → pronoun:

Gli do il libro. — I give him the book.

Only direct → pronoun:

Lo do a Marco. — I give it (the book) to Marco.

Both → combined pronoun: this is L17 (glielo do — "I give it to him"). For now — only one pronoun at a time.

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Part 6: Compare — direct vs indirect on the same verb

Some verbs can take both direct and indirect, and the meaning changes:

Direct (L13)	Indirect (L14)
Lo vedo. — I see him.	Gli scrivo. — I write to him.
La aspetto. — I'm waiting for her.	Le telefono. — I'm calling her.
Li conosco. — I know them.	Gli rispondo. — I answer them.
Vi amo. — I love you (pl.).	Vi do un consiglio. — I give you (pl.) advice.

The reliable diagnostic: if the original Italian phrase with a noun has a before the addressee (scrivo a Marco, telefono a Anna), the pronoun will be indirect (gli scrivo, le telefono). If there's no preposition (vedo Marco, aspetto Anna) — direct (lo vedo, l'aspetto). This is the most reliable test.

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