Direct pronouns

Pronouns often cause problems when learning Italian. In this article we will learn the Italian direct pronouns, what the direct object is, and some common verbs that have the direct object. Learn all about Italian direct pronouns and do the exercise at the end of the article.

INTRODUCTION: WHAT IS THE DIRECT OBJECT

The direct object (it. oggetto diretto) is the object of the sentence that answers the question Chi? Che cosa? (Who? What?). For example, in the sentence Romeo mangia il pesce, il pesce is the direct object:

Romeo mangia il pesce.
Cosa mangia Romeo? – Il pesce.

The direct object is not preceded by a preposition; it follows directly after the verb. That is why it is called direct object.

Romeomangiail pesce
SOGGETTOVERBOOGGETTO DIRETTO – CHI? COSA?

The direct object can be expressed by a noun (e.g. il pesce) or a pronoun, which is therefore called a direct object pronoun or simply a direct pronoun (e.g. lo). Pronouns are short words that usually replace a noun to avoid repetition. In the following example, il pesce is replaced by the direct object pronoun lo. The pronoun is placed before the verb.

Romeo mangia il pesce. Romeo eats fish.
Romeo lo mangia.Romeo eats it.

ITALIAN DIRECT PRONOUNS

Pronomi diretti

Let’s learn the Italian direct pronouns:

SOGGETTOPRONOMI DIRETTI
iomime
tutiyou
lui | leilo | lahim, it | her, you (formal)
noicius
voiviyou (all)
loroli | lethem (m | f)
I pronomi diretti con il gatto Romeo

As you can see, the direct pronouns are easy to remember: The endings of 3rd person singular and plural pronouns are the usual endings of nouns and adjectives:

  • O (lo) for masculine singular
  • A (la) for feminine singular
  • I (li) for masculine plural
  • E (le) for feminine plural

VERBS WITH DIRECT OBJECT

Many verbs in Italian are followed by the direct object, that is, that the what or the who directly follows the verb. Here is a small list of common verbs with a direct object:

WITH A NOUNWITH THE PRONOUN
AMARE to loveAmo la pizzaLa amo
MANGIAREto eatMangio una melaLa mangio
BEREto drinkBevo un caffèLo bevo
VEDERE to seeVedo delle ragazzeLe vedo
GUARDAREto watch, look atGuardo la TVLa guardo
ASCOLTARE to listen toAscolto la radioLa ascolto
LEGGEREto readLeggo il giornaleLo leggo
CONOSCERE to knowConosco la tua ragazzaLa conosco
ORDINAREto orderOrdino la pizzaLa ordino
COMPRAREto buyCompro dei libriLi compro
CHIAMAREto callChiamo mia mamma La chiamo
RINGRAZIARE to thankRingrazio i miei genitoriLi ringrazio
AIUTARE to helpAiuto mia nonnaLa aiuto
SEGUIRE to followSeguo il mio caneLo seguo
ASPETTAREto waitAspetto mio fratelloLo aspetto
ACCOMPAGNAREto accompanyAccompagno mio figlio a scuolaLo accompagno a scuola

Esempi

Some examples to learn the Italian direct pronouns better.

Romeo ama il pesce. Lo mangia tutti i giorni.Romeo loves fish. He eats it every day.
Mi piace la pizza. La ordino ogni settimana.I like pizza. I order it every week.
Conosci i miei genitori? No, non li conosco.Do you know my parents? No, I don’t know them.
Amo le fragole. Le compro spesso in estate.I love strawberries. I buy them often in the summer.
Mi aiuti per favore?Va bene, ti aiuto.Will you please help me? – All right, I’ll help you.
Ci vedi? Siamo davanti al ristorante. – Sì, vi vedo.Can you see us? We’re in front of the restaurant. – Yes, I see you.
Signora Rossi, la chiamo più tardi.Ms. Rossi, I’ll call you later.

Esercizio

Write the Italian direct pronouns.

Impara di più!

GRAMMATICA: The INDIRECT pronouns
VOCABOLARIO: 150 useful words (A1)
STORIE: Read a story in Italian

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