Italian subject pronouns: which ones are there? Let’s get to know them together!
Italian subject pronouns
In Italian, verbs follow a conjugation pattern that distinguishes six persons: three singular and three plural.
Singular | 1. | io | I |
2. | tu | you (one person) | |
3. | lui | lei | Lei | he | she | polite You | |
Plural | 1. | noi | we |
2. | voi | you (two or more people) | |
3. | loro | they |
In Italian, the 3rd person singular distinguishes between masculine (lui) and feminine (lei). The plural makes no such distinction and has only one form (loro).
There is also a politeness form when you are talking to someone and want to show respect. For the polite form, the feminine 3rd person singular is used: lei, regardless of whether you are talking to a man or a woman. The polite Lei is usually capitalized.
lei | she a woman | Lei è Fiona e abita a Roma. | She is Fiona and lives in Rome. |
Lei | You (polite) Mr. / Ms. | Signor Rossi, Lei abita a Roma? | Mr. Rossi, do you live in Rome? |
You can learn more about the polite form in Italian in our lesson The Polite Form in Italian.
Alternative pronoun
In Italian, there are other pronouns for the 3rd person singular and plural. However, these pronouns are very old-fashioned and are no longer often used even in written and formal language.
Masculine | Feminine | |
3. Singular | lui, egli, esso | lei, ella, essa |
3. Plural | loro, essi | loro, esse |
Use of subject pronouns
In Italian, you don’t need to say the subject pronoun explicitly, since the person is usually clear from the verb ending or the context. This is how they usually say:
Sono Fiona. | I’m Fiona. |
Abbiamo un gatto. | We have a cat. |
Dove abiti? | Where do you live? |
You need to say the subject pronouns when you emphasize that it is about a specific person, for example, when you are introducing someone or when you are talking about two people, to make it clear who you are talking about. In general, keep in mind that you’re better off adding the pronoun when your sentence might be unclear.
Loro sono Anna e Matteo. | They are Anna and Matteo. |
Lei abita a Milano, invece lui abita a Roma. | She lives in Milan, whereas he lives in Rome. |
Esercizio
1. I pronomi soggetto
Learn more about the polite form in Italian in our lesson The Polite Form in Italian.
2 thoughts on “Italian subject pronouns”
Hello!.
The grammar lesson italian subject pronouns is only in German. Is it possible to have it in English?
Have nive day.
Hi Elisabeth,
thank you for your comment. We’ve corrected it 🙂