Placing Pronouns at the end of the verb: Italian grammar lesson 166

Summary

Dive into the nifty world of Italian pronouns with this guide! Learn how to slickly attach them to verbs, making your Italian sound as smooth as a gelato on a hot Rome afternoon. 🍨 Whether it’s the infinitive or imperative, we’ve got you covered!

  • Infinitive Attachments: When using verbs like potere or volere, you can tack the pronoun right onto the end. Drop the final -e and merge like a pro. Fare + lo = farlo. Easy peasy!
  • Imperative Musts: Giving orders? Stick that pronoun on the end like a stamp on a postcard. Remember, it’s a must-do, no exceptions. Say “compralo” not “buy it” to sound authentically Italian!
  • Double Trouble: Got two pronouns? No sweat. The indirect object pronoun always gets dibs and goes first. Think of it as the VIP of pronouns.
  • Formal Speak: When you’re being all fancy and formal, flip it and reverse it. The pronoun precedes the verb. Keep it classy with “Lo faccia“, not “Do it”.
  • Consonant Doubling: Got a one-syllable imperative? Double the consonant for that pronoun (except for gli). It’s like giving your verb a little extra Italian love. ❤️

My thoughts

What is a pronoun?

To get started with today’s lesson, have a look at the following sentences:

Ho perso la mia borsa. Fammi sapere se la trovi.

I lost my bag. Let me know if you find it.

Perché non gli dici di venire?

Why don’t you tell him to come?

In the examples above, la and gli are pronouns and mean it and him, respectively.

Pronouns are those tiny words that refer to objects or people. We use them when we don’t need or want to name someone or something directly.

This might be because we have just mentioned them (like what we just did with “them” referring to “pronouns”) or because it’s obvious who or what we’re referring to.

If you need to review Italian pronouns, we recommend having a look at the following two posts:

Learn more about Direct object pronouns

Learn more about Indirect object pronouns

In today’s post, we’re going to focus on pronouns at the end of the verb.

Pronouns at the end of verbs in Italian

How to use pronouns at the end of the verb?

In Italian, in certain cases (not always), we can place the pronouns at the end of the verb.

This means the pronoun is joined onto the verb. There are two specific cases when we can do this:

  1. With a verb in the infinitive (like fare or vedere)
  2. With a verb in the imperative (like fai! or vedi!)

Have a look at some examples:

Voglio vederla.

I want to see her.

Perché non vuoi comprarmelo?

Why don’t you want to buy it to me?

Per piacere, prendilo.

Please, take it.

Daglielo oggi. Non ti dimenticare.

Give it to her today. Don’t forget.

Pronouns at the end of a verb in Italian

How to use infinitive + pronoun?

There are three verbs that are usually followed by a verb in the infinitive:

  • Potere (can or to be able to)
    Example: Posso venire? (Can I come?)
  • Dovere (must or to have to)
    Example:Devi finire tutto. (You have to finish everything)
  • Volere(to want to)
    Example: Non voglio uscire. (I don’t want to go out)

Now that you know this, have a look at these two examples and see if you notice anything:

Lo puoi fare tu?

Can you do it?

Puoi farlo tu?

Can you do it?

You probably noticed both sentences mean exactly the same.

This is because both options are correct: we can place the pronoun before the verb in the infinitive or at the end of it.

It’s up to you to choose how to do it. But if you decide to attach the pronoun to the verb, here’s one rule you need to know:

The final -e of the infinitive is dropped. Meaning fare + lo becomes farlo.

Pronouns at the end of verbs Italian

Infinitive + pronoun: examples

Let’s have a look at some more examples with a pronoun at the end of the verb in the infinitive:

Puoi aiutarli per piacere?

Can you help them, please?

Devo farlo per forza?

Do I really have to do it?

Dovrei scrivergli.

I should write to him.

Non voglio parlarle.

I don’t want to speak to her.

We can also have both pronouns at the end of the verb. In this case, the indirect object always goes before the direct object pronoun.

Let’s have a look at some examples with both pronouns at the end of the verb:

Puoi dirglielo tu?

Can you say it to him?

Ho dei regali per voi. Vorrei darveli stasera.

I have a present for you. I’d like to give them to you tonight.

Also, sometimes it’s possible to have two infinitive verbs close to each other, so you’re free to place the pronoun at the end of either, like in the examples below:

Puoi venire a prendermi?
or
Puoi venirmi a prendere?

Can you come to pick me up?

Pronouns at the end of a verb Italian

How to use the imperative + pronoun?

We also place pronouns at the end of verbs in the imperative. And we use the imperative to give orders and instructions.

Unlike with the infinitive, with the imperative, this is obligatory, which means placing the pronoun before the verb in the imperative is wrong.

Here’s one example:

Compralo dopo.

Buy it later.

Here’s a rule you need to keep in mind: If the verb consists of just one syllable, we double the consonant the pronoun starts with (except in the case of gli).

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And here are two examples:

Fallo subito!

Do it now!

Dille la verità!

Tell her the truth!

There’s only one exception to this rule concerning the imperative: when we’re addressing someone in a formal way and we use the formal lei.

Only in this case, the pronoun goes before the verb like in the examples below:

Lo faccia subito!

Do it now!

Glielo dica il prima possibile.

Say it to him as soon as possible.

Pronoun after a verb in the infinitive in Italian

Imperative + pronoun in Italian: Examples

Let’s have a look at some more examples with a pronoun at the end of the verb in the imperative:

Dimmi dove sono.

Tell me where they are.

Dacci i documenti.

Give us the documents.

Puliscila subito! Cosa aspetti?

Clean it now! What are you waiting for?

And here are some examples with both pronouns at the end of the verb:

Se volete la televisione, prendetevela pure.

If you don’t want the TV, go ahead and take it yourself.

Diglielo appena puoi.

Say it to him (her or them) as soon as you can.

Again, when we add both pronouns at the end of the verb, the indirect object goes before the direct object pronoun.

What are pronouns?

Pronouns are those words that refer to objects or people. We use them when we don’t need or want to name someone or something directly. Either because we have just mentioned them or because it’s obvious who or what we’re referring to.

How to use pronouns at the end of the verb?

Pronouns at the end of the verb are joined into them. There are two cases: With a verb in the infinitive and with a verb in the imperative.

How to use infinitive + pronoun?

We can place the pronoun before the verb in the infinitive or at the end of it. If you decide to attach the pronoun to the verb, you need to drop the final -e of the infinitive and add the pronoun. You can also have both pronouns at the end of the verb but the indirect object one always goes before the direct object pronoun.

How to use imperative + pronoun?

The pronoun is never placed before the verb in the imperative. If the verb consists of just one syllable, we double the consonant the pronoun starts with. And when we’re addressing someone in a formal way, the pronoun goes before the verb. If we add both pronouns at the end of the verb, the indirect object goes before the direct object pronoun.

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?
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2 Responses

  1. With due respect I do not think that ‘If you don’t want the TV, go ahead and take it for yourself is good English. I suggest
    “If you don’t want the TV, go and ahead and take it yourself’.

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