Pronomi Diretti

Pronomi Oggetto Diretto or Pronomi Diretti, answer the questions “what?” or “whom?”. They are words like me, him, her, us, them… which take the place of a direct object noun to indicate a person or thing that is directly affected by the action of the verb.

Ex: I see Marco. (subj. verb direct object noun) I see him. (subj. verb direct object pron.)

The following table shows the direct object pronouns in Italian:

Pronomi Diretti (forma atonica)

mi
ti
lo
la
La

me
you
him
her
you (formal)

ci
vi
li
le

us
you (plural)
them (m.)
them (f.)

Of the forms in the above table, mi, ti, La, ci, and vi can only be used with people/animate objects. However, lo, la, li, and le can be used with both animate and inanimate objects.

   Ex: Non mangio il pesce.   I don’t eat fish. -> Non lo mangio.            I don’t eat it.
          Sento gli uccelli.   I hear the birds. ->   Li sento. I hear them.
          Conosco Anna.   I know Anna. ->   La conosco.                I know her.
Leggo le riviste. I read the magazines.  ->      Le leggo.                       I read them.

As you probably noticed in the previous examples, the atonic (weak) forms of i pronomi diretti precede the verb, with few exceptions*:

Ti amo. I love you. Mi conosce. He knows me.
Ci vede. He sees us. Vi capisco I understand you. pl.

*Pronomi diretti atonici can only follow (and are then attached to) the infinitive, informal imperative, and gerund verb forms; the latter two forms we will learn in upcoming units. With the infinitive and gerund forms, it is possible to place the pronome diretto either before or after the verb.

[infinitive]

[imperative]

[gerund]

Ho trovato le chiavi. Devo metterle nel cassetto.
oppure (Le devo mettere nel cassetto.)

Ecco il vino. Mettilo sul tavolo.

Non posso darti il libro. Sto leggendolo.
oppure    (Lo sto leggendo.)

I found the keys. I have to put
them in the drawer.

Here is the wine. Put it on the table.

I can’t give you the book. I am reading it.

ATTENZIONE!

Sometimes in Italian (often with verbs like sapere) the pronome diretto (lo) is required where it would not be used in English. It indicates/refers back to the fact or piece of information being discussed.

Ex:         - Sai che Marco lavora presso Amazon?   Do you know that Marco works for Amazon?
               - Sì, lo so.   Yes, I know (it = the fact that Marco works for Amazon).

- Che ore sono?                                                             What time is it?
- Non lo so.   I don’t know (it = the current time )

Pronomi Diretti Tonici

When speakers want to emphasize the pronome diretto, la forma tonica (tonic/stressed form) can be used. This direct object form is placed after the verb. This form is less commonly used.

Ex. Non vedo lui. I don’t see him. [This emphasizes that I don’t see that specific person]

The forms of the forma tonica are very similar to the personal pronouns; it is formulated as follows:

Tu vedi me                  Voi vedete noi.
Io vedo te                    Loro vedono voi
Lei vede lui                  Noi vediamo loro
Lui vede lei

Using Pronomi Diretti in compound verb tenses

Pronomi Diretti continue to precede the verb, even in compound verb tenses like Passato Prossimo.
The lo and la forms elide or shorten to l’ when they precede any form of the auxiliary verb avere.
When pronomi diretti are used in compound tenses, the past participle must make an agreement with the object. This is an exception to the general rule that verbs that take avere don’t have to make agreements.

Let’s see some examples:
                        Hai mangiato la pasta? Sì, l’ho mangiata
                        Avete letto il giornale? Sì, l’abbiamo letto
Hanno visto le foto? No, non le hanno viste
                        Marco ha guardato i film? No, non li ha guardati