How to say each other: Italian grammar lesson 155

Summary

Dive into the Italian language and master the art of saying “each other” with finesse! This guide will teach you the nuances of reciprocal pronouns and how to use them with different genders and prepositions. 🇮🇹👫

  • Reflexive verbs in Italian often imply reciprocity, but adding l’un l’altro or a vicenda emphasizes that two people are performing the action on each other. 🔄
  • Use l’un l’altro to stress the mutual nature of an action. It’s like putting a spotlight on the give-and-take in relationships. 💡
  • When mixing genders, modify altro to altra for feminine nouns, but keep un as is. Remember, gents first for a smooth flow in Italian! 👫
  • Prepositions can join the party with l’un l’altro. Match them with the verb’s needs, like l’uno con l’altro for “be honest with.” 🎉
  • Gender and number agreement is crucial when prepositions split up l’un l’altro. Keep your Italian grammar in check for flawless sentences. ✅
  • For a group vibe, switch to gli uni degli altri when talking about trusting “each other” in a collective sense. It’s all about the squad goals in Italian! 🤝

My thoughts

How to say each other in Italian?

In a previous lesson, we’ve seen one way of saying each other: with reflexive verbs.

L’uno and l’altro  pronouns, on their own, are just two indefinite pronouns, but when used together, they take on a reciprocal meaning and can complement reciprocal verbs. And become l’un l’altro, each other.

Let’s have a look at some examples:

Mario e Gianni si aiutano l’un l’altro.

Mario and Gianni help each other.

Noi ci rispettiamo l’un l’altro.

We respect each other.

When to use l’un l’altro and a vicenda?

each other italian

We will use these reciprocal pronouns when we want to emphasize that the action is reciprocal, or to make the sentence more clear, even after using a reflexive verb.

In fact, the following sentences have basically the same meaning, but the second puts more emphasis on reciprocity.

In the third example, on the other hand, you will find the expression a vicenda, which also means each other.

Luca e Alberto si aiutano.

Luca and Alberto help each other.

Luca e Alberto si aiutano l’un l’altro.

Luca and Alberto help each other.

Luca e Alberto si aiutano a vicenda.

Luca and Alberto help each other.

How to use l’un l’altro with feminine nouns?

how to say each other italian

When one of the nouns is feminine, we can change altro for altra, but we usually do not change un.

Have a look at the following example:

Giacomo e Maria si aiutano l’un l’altra.

Giacomo and Maria help each other.

Il ragazzo e la ragazza si amano l’un l’altra.

The boy and the girl love each other.

When building the sentence, it is good to have the masculine noun first and the feminine second so as to maintain the order of the mentioned genders in the pronouns, as we will not say l’una l’altro.

How to use l’un l’altro with prepositions?

Free Guide
How to Learn Languages Fast

gli uni degli altri

L’un l’altro can also be used with different prepositions separating the two words, depending on which preposition the verb requires.

With essere sincero con (be honest with), for example, we will use l’uno con l’altro, while with fidarsi di qualcuno (to trust someone), we will use l’uno dell’altro, etc.

When they are separated by a preposition, the two pronouns need to agree with the gender and number of the nouns described. Have a look at the following examples:

Maria e Giulia sono sincere l’una con l’altra.

Maria and Giulia are honest with each other.

Bisogna fidarsi gli uni degli altri.

We must trust each other.

Io e te siamo fatte l’una per l’altra.

We are made for each other.

Noi non sappiamo niente le une delle altre.

We do not know anything about each other.

When to use "l'un l'altro"?

We will use these reciprocal pronouns when we want to emphasize that the action is reciprocal, or to make the sentence more clear, even after using a reflexive verb.

How is "l'un l'altro" with feminine nouns?

For concordance it becomes "l'un l'altra".

How to use "l'un l'altro" with prepositions?

Usually prepositions separate the two words, depending on which preposition the verb requires.

Italian word of the day
bottiglie
Example
Colleziono bottiglie. Non sai proprio cosa fare, eh?
I collect bottles. You just don’t know what to do, huh?
Follow me to fluency​

Create a free lifetime account to get access to all the free courses and other resources.

Leave a Reply

Take a free lesson today!

Create a free lifetime account to get access to all the free lessons and other resources.

I’ll also deliver my free resources my best offers to your mailbox (opt out at any time).

What’s the difference between che and cui in Italian? Before we talk about the tiny word cui, let’s talk about the pronoun che. Che means “that” or “who” (among other...
Are you in a rush to learn Italian grammar? Don’t worry! This article will teach you how to place adjectives correctly, so you can sound like a native! After reading...
Discover essential topics for mastering Italian grammar, empowering you to unlock the language’s full potential. Elevate your Italian skills one topic at a time and navigate grammar intricacies with confidence....
What is the meaning of ci in Italian? In all languages, there are certain words that are tricky to fully understand. This is because they usually have many different meanings...
Try my courses for free​
Stefano

Log in

Reset password or get in touch.

Not a member yet? Join today!

How long to fluency?

Find out how long it will take you to master Italian!
Get on the right track in 3 minutes.

dolce vita logo

We're already friends!

Coming from Luca and Marina?
Here's a special deal for you!
Just tell me where I should send the coupon.

50% OFF
all language resources

We're already friends!

Coming from All Language Resources?
Here's a special deal for you!
Just tell me where I should send the coupon.

50% OFF
GRAB A COUPON NOW, REDEEM IT LATER
50% OFF

To receive free resources once a week together with my best offers, just tell me where to send everything. Opt out at any time.

Create a free lifetime account to get access to all the free lesson and other resources.