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Pronomi Oggetto Indiretto or Pronomi Indiretti, are pronouns that answer the questions “to whom?” or “for whom?”. They are used to express the "recipient" of an action or the recipient of the direct object.
Ex: I gave the book to Marco. (subj. verb D.O. Indirect Obj. noun) I gave the book to him. (subj. verb D.O. Indirect Obj. pronoun) The following table shows indirect object pronouns in Italian: Pronomi Indiretti (forma atona)
You probably noticed above that there are two forms for third person plural (loro).
The loro form is technically the grammatically proper form; however, the masculine singular form, gli, has come to be commonly used in place of loro, particularly in everyday, spoken Italian. Ex: Do il libro a Luigi e Gino. I give the book to Luigi and Gino. BECOMES.... Do loro il libro. I give the book to them. Gli do il libro. I give the book to them. Just like Pronomi Diretti, with the exception of loro, which follows the verb, the weak forms of i Pronomi Indiretti precede the verb*:
*As we learned with pronomi diretti, la forma atona (weak form) can only follow (and is then attached to) the infinitive, informal imperative, and gerund verb forms. Again, with the infinitive and gerund forms, it is possible to place the pronome indiretto either before or after the verb.
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[infinitive]
Ho un po' di tempo domani. Quindi, posso telefonarti. oppure (ti posso telefonare.) I have time tomorrow, so I can phone (to) you. |
[imperative]
Dimmi la verità. Tell (to) me the truth. |
[gerund]
Alfredo sta parlandoti. oppure (ti sta parlando.) Alfredo is speaking to you. |
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Pronomi Indiretti Tonici
When speakers want to emphasize the pronome indiretto, la forma tonica (tonic/stressed form) is used. This form is usually placed after the verb, but it can also sometimes precede the verb. Whereas la forma tonica del pronome diretto, is used less frequently in spoken Italian, this form is commonly used:
Ex: Do il libro a lui. [emphasizes to whom I give the book] Let’s look at the forma tonica (stressed) along with the forma atona (weak), so we can see how the forms correspond:
Using Pronomi Indiretti in compound verb tenses
Pratica!
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