Lo vuoi? La conosci? Li hai visti? Direct object pronouns are tiny words, but they are everywhere in spoken Italian. They help you avoid repeating the same noun over and over, and once you start using them, your Italian immediately sounds more natural. Let’s see how they work, one step at a time.
In short
- Direct object pronouns replace the person or thing that receives the action: Vedo Maria → La vedo. La stands for Maria. I see her. La vedo.
- They answer the questions “who?” or “what?”, with no preposition.
- They are: mi, ti, lo, la, La, ci, vi, li, le.
- They go before the conjugated verb, but attach to infinitives, to the informal imperative and to ecco.
- In the passato prossimo, the participle agrees: L’ho vista. Li ho visti.
What is a direct object pronoun?
A direct object is the person or thing that directly receives the action of the verb. It answers the question “what?” or “who?”:
- Voglio un caffè. What do I want? A coffee: un caffè is the direct object.
- Incontro i miei amici. Who am I meeting? My friends: i miei amici is the direct object.
A direct object pronoun replaces it, so you don’t have to repeat it:
| Question | Answer with a pronoun |
|---|---|
| Vuoi il caffè? → Do you want some coffee? | Sì, lo voglio. → Yes, I want it. |
| Vedi i tuoi amici stasera? → Are you seeing your friends tonight? | Sì, li vedo. → Yes, I’m seeing them. |
| Conosci Giulia? → Do you know Giulia? | No, non la conosco. → No, I don’t know her. |
Direct object pronouns: the chart
| Pronoun | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| mi | me | Mi chiami stasera? → Will you call me tonight? |
| ti | you (informal) | Ti aspetto al bar. → I’ll wait for you at the café. |
| lo | him, it (masculine) | Lo conosco bene. → I know him well. |
| la | her, it (feminine) | La pizza? La prendo anch’io. → The pizza? I’ll have it too. |
| La | you (formal) | La ringrazio, signora. → Thank you, madam. |
| ci | us | Ci accompagni a casa? → Will you take us home? |
| vi | you (plural) | Vi vedo domani! → See you all tomorrow! |
| li | them (masculine or mixed) | I biglietti? Li ho io. → The tickets? I’ve got them. |
| le | them (feminine) | Le chiavi? Le cerco da un’ora! → The keys? I’ve been looking for them for an hour! |
Before a vowel or h, lo and la usually become l’: L’ho visto. L’ho vista. Li and le never do: Li ho visti. Le ho viste.
Mi, ti, ci, vi: the ones that get mixed up
In questions and answers, the pronoun changes person, just like in English. This is where many learners hesitate:
- Mi vedi? → Can you see me? Sì, ti vedo. → Yes, I can see you.
- Ci vedi? → Can you see us? Sì, vi vedo. → Yes, I can see you all.
- Mi sentite? → Can you all hear me? No, non ti sentiamo. → No, we can’t hear you.
- Ci sentite? → Can you all hear us? No, non vi sentiamo. → No, we can’t hear you all.
Lo meaning “it” for a whole idea
Lo can also replace a whole sentence or idea. You’ll hear it all the time in everyday conversation:
- Lo so. → I know.
- Non lo so. → I don’t know.
- Lo sapevi che Marco si sposa? → Did you know Marco is getting married?
- Te lo prometto. → I promise you.
Where do direct pronouns go?
The general rule: the pronoun goes before the conjugated verb. This is the opposite of English, so it takes a little practice:
| Italian | Word for word | English |
|---|---|---|
| Lo prendo. | It I take. | I’ll take it. |
| La vedo. | Her I see. | I see her. |
| Mi chiami? | Me you call? | Will you call me? |
There are a few cases where the pronoun goes after the verb and is attached to it:
- With an infinitive: È bello vederti! → It’s nice to see you!
- With the informal imperative: Guardalo! → Look at him!
- With ecco: Eccolo! Eccomi! → Here he is! Here I am!
With modal verbs: two options
With dovere, potere and volere, the pronoun can go before the modal verb or be attached to the infinitive, which drops its final -e. Both are correct and Italians use both:
| Before the modal | Attached to the infinitive | English |
|---|---|---|
| La voglio vedere. | Voglio vederla. | I want to see her. |
| Ti posso chiamare? | Posso chiamarti? | Can I call you? |
| Lo dobbiamo comprare. | Dobbiamo comprarlo. | We have to buy it. |
With the imperative
- Informal (tu, noi, voi): Mangialo! → Eat it! In the negative, both Non lo mangiare! and Non mangiarlo! are correct.
- Formal (Lei): the pronoun goes before the verb: Lo assaggi, signora! → Try it, madam! Non lo tocchi! → Don’t touch it!
More on commands in my guide to the Italian imperative.
Direct pronouns in the passato prossimo
Usually, past participles with avere don’t change (ho mangiato). But when lo, la, li or le come before the verb, the participle agrees in gender and number with the pronoun:
| Sentence | With the pronoun | Agreement |
|---|---|---|
| Ho preparato un dolce. | L’ho preparato. | masculine singular |
| Ho preparato una torta. | L’ho preparata. | feminine singular |
| Ho preparato gli spaghetti. | Li ho preparati. | masculine plural |
| Ho preparato le tagliatelle. | Le ho preparate. | feminine plural |
With mi, ti, ci and vi, the agreement is optional: Maria, ti ho vista! and Maria, ti ho visto! are both correct. Want to review the participles? Here’s my list of irregular passato prossimo verbs.
Common mistakes to avoid
| ❌ Mistake | ✅ Correct | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Lo ho visto. | L’ho visto. | lo and la drop the vowel before ho, hai, ha, hanno |
| Li ho visto. | Li ho visti. | the participle agrees with li |
| Ho visto lo. | L’ho visto. | the pronoun goes before the conjugated verb |
| Lo telefono. | Gli telefono. | telefonare a takes an indirect pronoun |
Not sure when to use lo and when gli? Read my guide to Italian indirect object pronouns.
See them in a real conversation
Paolo is late for work, as usual.
Paolo: Hai visto le mie chiavi?
Elena: Sì, le ho viste in cucina, vicino al caffè.
Paolo: E il telefono? Non lo trovo!
Elena: Eccolo, sul divano. E il pranzo? L’hai preso?
Paolo: No, lo compro al bar. Ti chiamo dopo!
Elena: Va bene, ti aspetto per cena!
Paolo: Have you seen my keys?
Elena: Yes, I saw them in the kitchen, next to the coffee.
Paolo: And my phone? I can’t find it!
Elena: Here it is, on the sofa. And your lunch? Did you take it?
Paolo: No, I’ll buy it at the café. I’ll call you later!
Elena: Okay, I’ll wait for you for dinner!
Frequently asked questions
What are the direct object pronouns in Italian?
The Italian direct object pronouns are mi (me), ti (you), lo (him, it), la (her, it), La (you, formal), ci (us), vi (you all), li (them, masculine or mixed) and le (them, feminine).
Where do direct object pronouns go in Italian?
They usually go before the conjugated verb (Lo vedo, I see him). They are attached to the end of an infinitive (Voglio vederlo), of the informal imperative (Guardalo!) and of ecco (Eccolo!). With modal verbs both positions are correct: Lo voglio vedere or Voglio vederlo.
Does the past participle agree with direct object pronouns?
Yes. With lo, la, li and le in the passato prossimo, the past participle agrees with the pronoun: L’ho vista (I saw her), Li ho comprati (I bought them). With mi, ti, ci and vi the agreement is optional.
What is the difference between lo and gli?
Lo is a direct object pronoun (him, it) and answers “who?” or “what?”: Lo vedo. Gli is an indirect object pronoun (to him, to them) and replaces a + person: Gli parlo.
Practice with my stories
L’ho vista, li ho chiamati, lo so: my characters use direct pronouns in almost every conversation, so reading is a painless way to make them automatic. These three are perfect for beginners:
Due Amiche e un Album di Fotografie
Level A1
Two friends, an old photo album and lots of everyday Italian.
