Gli or le? Lo or gli? Indirect object pronouns are one of the topics my students find most confusing, mostly because English uses “to him”, “to her” or nothing at all, while Italian uses a short word placed before the verb. The good news: there are only a few of them, and four are identical to the direct pronouns you may already know.
In short
- Indirect object pronouns replace a + person: Parlo a Marco → Gli parlo.
- They are: mi, ti, gli, le, Le, ci, vi, gli.
- Gli = to him (and, in everyday Italian, to them). Le = to her, and Le = to you (formal).
- They go before the conjugated verb, but attach to infinitives and to the informal imperative: Devo dirti una cosa. Dimmi!
- Watch out for verbs like telefonare a and rispondere a: in English they take a direct object, in Italian an indirect one.
What is an indirect object pronoun?
An indirect object pronoun replaces the person who receives something or for whom something is done. In Italian, this person is usually introduced by the preposition a (to). Indirect pronouns answer the question “to whom?” or “for whom?”.
Direct object pronouns, instead, replace the person or thing directly affected by the action, and answer “who?” or “what?”, with no preposition.
| Example | How to recognize it | |
|---|---|---|
| Direct | Vedo Marco. → Lo vedo. I see Marco. → I see him. | Lo replaces Marco. Who do I see? No preposition. |
| Indirect | Do un libro a Marco. → Gli do un libro. I give a book to Marco. → I give him a book. | Gli replaces a Marco. To whom do I give it? With a. |
Indirect object pronouns: the chart
| Pronoun | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| mi | to me | Marco mi manda un’email. → Marco is sending me an email. |
| ti | to you (informal) | Ti scrivo una lettera. → I’m writing you a letter. |
| gli | to him | Gli do un consiglio. → I give him some advice. |
| le | to her | Le offro un caffè. → I’m buying her a coffee. |
| Le | to you (formal) | Le mando un’email, signora. → I’ll send you an email, madam. |
| ci | to us | Ci racconta una storia. → She tells us a story. |
| vi | to you (plural) | Vi mando un messaggio. → I’ll send you all a message. |
| gli | to them | Gli insegno l’italiano. → I teach them Italian. |
Note: in formal or written Italian, “to them” can also be loro, placed after the verb: Insegno loro l’italiano. In everyday speech, Italians simply use gli.
From noun to pronoun: examples
| Sentence | With the pronoun | English |
|---|---|---|
| Do un regalo a Luca. | Gli do un regalo. | I give him a gift. |
| Mando un messaggio a Maria. | Le mando un messaggio. | I send her a message. |
| Presto la macchina a voi. | Vi presto la macchina. | I lend you all the car. |
| Chiedo aiuto ai miei amici. | Gli chiedo aiuto. | I ask them for help. |
| Dico la verità a te. | Ti dico la verità. | I tell you the truth. |
| Offriamo un caffè a Giulia. | Le offriamo un caffè. | We buy Giulia a coffee. |
Where do indirect pronouns go?
Before a conjugated verb (most common)
- Ti scrivo domani. → I’ll write to you tomorrow.
- Gli parlo spesso. → I often talk to him.
- Non le ho detto niente. → I didn’t tell her anything.
With modal verbs: two options
With volere, potere and dovere, the pronoun can go before the modal verb or be attached to the infinitive. Both are correct:
| Before the modal | Attached to the infinitive | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ti devo dire una cosa. | Devo dirti una cosa. | I have to tell you something. |
| Gli posso telefonare? | Posso telefonargli? | Can I call him? |
| Le vuoi scrivere? | Vuoi scriverle? | Do you want to write to her? |
With the imperative
With the informal imperative (tu, noi, voi), the pronoun is attached to the verb. In the negative, it can go before or after:
| Affirmative | Negative (pronoun before) | Negative (pronoun attached) |
|---|---|---|
| Dimmi! (Tell me!) | Non mi dire! (Don’t tell me!) | Non dirmi! (Don’t tell me!) |
| Scrivile! (Write to her!) | Non le scrivere! | Non scriverle! |
| Telefonategli! (Call him, you all!) | Non gli telefonate! | Non telefonategli! |
More on this in my guides to the Italian imperative and the placement of Italian pronouns.
Direct vs indirect pronouns side by side
Mi, ti, ci and vi are the same in both groups, so you only need to choose in the third person: lo, la, li, le (direct) or gli, le (indirect).
| Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|
| mi (me) | mi (to me) |
| ti (you) | ti (to you) |
| lo (him, it) | gli (to him) |
| la (her, it) | le (to her) |
| La (you, formal) | Le (to you, formal) |
| ci (us) | ci (to us) |
| vi (you all) | vi (to you all) |
| li, le (them) | gli (to them) |
| With a direct pronoun | With an indirect pronoun |
|---|---|
| La mangio sempre. → I always eat it. | Le mando un’email. → I’m sending her an email. |
| Li chiamo spesso. → I often call them. | Gli telefono tutti i giorni. → I call him every day. |
| Lo vedo stasera. → I’m seeing him tonight. | Ti parlo più tardi. → I’ll talk to you later. |
| Li ho invitati alla festa. → I invited them to the party. | Vi scrivo una lettera. → I’m writing you a letter. |
Verbs that take an indirect pronoun
Unfortunately, you can’t always guess from the meaning whether a verb takes a direct or indirect pronoun. The best strategy is to learn these common verbs together with their a qualcuno (“to someone”):
| Verb | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| dire a qualcuno | to say, to tell someone | Ti dico la verità. → I’m telling you the truth. |
| dare a qualcuno | to give someone | Le do il libro. → I give her the book. |
| scrivere a qualcuno | to write to someone | Gli scrivo una lettera. → I’m writing him a letter. |
| mandare a qualcuno | to send someone | Le mandiamo una cartolina. → We’re sending her a postcard. |
| offrire a qualcuno | to offer, to buy someone something | Ti offro un caffè. → Let me buy you a coffee. |
| prestare a qualcuno | to lend someone | Ti presto i miei occhiali. → I’ll lend you my glasses. |
| portare a qualcuno | to bring someone | Ti porto il pranzo. → I’ll bring you lunch. |
| raccontare a qualcuno | to tell someone (a story) | Le racconto tutto. → I tell her everything. |
| consigliare a qualcuno | to advise someone | Gli consiglio di studiare. → I advise him to study. |
| piacere a qualcuno | to be pleasing to someone | Mi piace il gelato. → I like ice cream. |
| servire a qualcuno | to be needed by someone | Ti serve una mano? → Do you need a hand? |
| interessare a qualcuno | to interest someone | Mi interessa la storia. → I’m interested in history. |
Verbs like piacere and servire have their own guides: the verb piacere and mi serve or mi servono.
The verbs that trick English speakers
These verbs take a direct object in English but an indirect one in Italian. They cause most of the mistakes I see:
| Verb | ✅ Correct | ❌ Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| telefonare a (to call) | Gli telefono stasera. | Lo telefono stasera. |
| rispondere a (to answer) | Le rispondo subito. | La rispondo subito. |
| chiedere a (to ask) | Gli chiedo un favore. | Lo chiedo un favore. |
| credere a (to believe someone) | Gli credo. (I believe him.) | Lo credo. |
| insegnare a (to teach) | Le insegno a nuotare. | La insegno a nuotare. |
See them in a real conversation
Sara and Luca are planning a birthday surprise for their friend Marta.
Sara: Che cosa le regaliamo?
Luca: Le piacciono i libri. Possiamo regalarle un romanzo.
Sara: Buona idea. E a suo fratello? Gli diciamo della festa?
Luca: Sì, gli telefono stasera. Ma non dirgli niente del regalo!
Sara: Tranquillo. Domani vi mando l’indirizzo del ristorante.
Sara: What shall we give her?
Luca: She likes books. We can give her a novel.
Sara: Good idea. And her brother? Do we tell him about the party?
Luca: Yes, I’ll call him tonight. But don’t tell him anything about the present!
Sara: Don’t worry. Tomorrow I’ll send you all the address of the restaurant.
Quick practice
Frequently asked questions
What are the indirect object pronouns in Italian?
The Italian indirect object pronouns are mi (to me), ti (to you), gli (to him), le (to her), Le (to you, formal), ci (to us), vi (to you all) and gli (to them). In formal written Italian, “to them” can also be loro, placed after the verb.
What is the difference between lo and gli in Italian?
Lo is a direct object pronoun and means “him” or “it” (Lo vedo, I see him). Gli is an indirect object pronoun and means “to him” (Gli parlo, I talk to him). Use gli when the verb is followed by “a” + person.
Is it gli or le for “to her”?
For “to her” the correct pronoun is le: Le telefono stasera (I’ll call her tonight). Gli means “to him” or “to them”.
Where do indirect object pronouns go in an Italian sentence?
They usually go before the conjugated verb (Ti scrivo domani). They are attached to the end of an infinitive (Voglio scriverti), of the informal imperative (Scrivimi!) and of the gerund (Scrivendoti).
Practice with my stories
Pronouns are everywhere in real conversations: gli dico, le scrivo, ti racconto. The best way to stop translating them in your head is to meet them again and again in a story. These are a good place to start:
Due Amiche e una Bufera di Neve
Level A1/A2
Costanza and Anna are back for a winter adventure in Valle d’Aosta.
Piazzetta Italiana
Level A2/B1
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