Italian clitic pronouns (lo, la, mi, ti, gli, le, ci, vi, ne...) usually sit before the conjugated verb: lo vedo, ti parlo, gli scrivo. But with non-finite verb forms — infinitives, participles, gerundi, and imperatives — they go on the other side: they attach to the end of the verb as a single written word. This page covers the rules for the gerundio specifically, including the special freedom that opens up when the gerundio is paired with stare, andare, or venire.
The good news: the rules are short. The bad news: each one has a wrinkle.
Rule 1: Bare gerundio takes enclitics
When the gerundio stands on its own (no auxiliary), clitic pronouns attach to the end as a single written word. This is called encliticization.
| Verb + clitic | Gerundio with enclitic | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| vedere + lo | vedendolo | seeing him/it |
| parlare + gli | parlandogli | speaking to him |
| dire + me + lo | dicendomelo | telling it to me |
| dare + glie + ne | dandogliene | giving some of it to him |
| comprare + ce + ne | comprandocene | buying some of it for us |
Note: the gerundio ending does not change when the clitic attaches. There is no elision, no vowel drop. Vedendo + lo = vedendolo, full stop.
Vedendolo per strada, l'ho salutato.
Seeing him in the street, I said hello.
Parlandogli con calma, sono riuscito a convincerlo.
Speaking to him calmly, I managed to convince him.
Dicendomelo prima, mi avresti risparmiato un viaggio inutile.
If you had told me earlier, you would have saved me a pointless trip.
Sapendolo, non sarei mai partito.
If I had known, I would never have left.
The only thing to watch is stress. The clitic is unstressed — the natural stress of the gerundio stays where it always was. Vedendolo is stressed ve-DEN-do-lo, exactly like vedendo; the -lo doesn't pull the stress.
Rule 2: stare + gerundio allows clitic climbing
When the gerundio appears in the stare + gerundio progressive, you have a choice. The clitic can either stay attached to the gerundio as an enclitic, OR it can climb to its standard position before stare. Both are correct.
Sto parlandogli.
I'm speaking to him. (clitic on gerundio)
Gli sto parlando.
I'm speaking to him. (clitic climbed to before stare)
Lo sto vedendo adesso.
I'm seeing him now. (climbing — most common in speech)
Sta facendolo da solo.
He's doing it by himself. (enclitic — slightly more formal/literary)
In everyday spoken Italian, the climbed version is far more common. Italians say te lo sto dicendo much more often than sto dicendotelo. The enclitic version sounds more deliberate, more written. Both are grammatically correct — but if you want to sound natural, default to climbing in speech.
Rule 3: andare and venire + gerundio allow climbing too
The same option exists with andare + gerundio and venire + gerundio (the gradual-progression constructions covered in gerundio with andare, venire, stare). Climbing is allowed; encliticization is also allowed.
Te lo vado dicendo da settimane.
I keep telling you for weeks. (climbing)
Vado dicendoti la stessa cosa da settimane.
I keep telling you the same thing for weeks. (enclitic)
Quest'idea mi viene maturando da anni.
This idea has been maturing in my mind for years. (climbing)
Viene maturandomi quest'idea da anni.
This idea has been maturing in my mind for years. (enclitic — more literary)
Because andare + gerundio and venire + gerundio are themselves more formal constructions, the enclitic version is somewhat more common here than with stare + gerundio — it matches the elevated register of the construction itself. But climbing is still acceptable.
Rule 4: Negation goes before the whole construction
When you negate a gerundio, non goes before the gerundio, and the clitic stays attached to the gerundio (or climbs in the stare/andare/venire constructions, where non would then precede the auxiliary).
Non vedendolo da giorni, ho cominciato a preoccuparmi.
Not seeing him for days, I started to worry. (bare gerundio)
Non sapendolo, ha fatto la cosa sbagliata.
Not knowing, he did the wrong thing.
Non sto dicendoti niente.
I'm not telling you anything. (negation before stare; clitic enclitic on gerundio)
Non te lo sto dicendo.
I'm not telling it to you. (negation before stare; clitic climbed)
The placement of non is intuitive: it always immediately precedes the verb (or auxiliary) it negates. With a bare gerundio, that's the gerundio itself. With stare/andare/venire + gerundio, it's the conjugated auxiliary.
All four rules in one table
| Construction | Clitic placement | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Bare gerundio | Enclitic on gerundio (only option) | vedendolo |
| Stare + gerundio | Enclitic on gerundio OR climb to before stare | sto vedendolo / lo sto vedendo |
| Andare + gerundio | Enclitic on gerundio OR climb to before andare | vado dicendoti / ti vado dicendo |
| Venire + gerundio | Enclitic on gerundio OR climb to before venire | viene maturandomi / mi viene maturando |
| Negated bare gerundio | Non + gerundio + clitic enclitic | non vedendolo |
| Negated stare/andare/venire + gerundio | Non + auxiliary, clitic enclitic OR climbed | non sto dicendoti / non te lo sto dicendo |
Compound gerundio: clitic on the auxiliary
For the gerundio passato (avendo / essendo + participle), the clitic attaches to avendo or essendo as an enclitic — never to the participle.
Avendolo visto, l'ho salutato.
Having seen him, I said hello.
Avendogli parlato, ora capisco meglio la situazione.
Having spoken to him, I now understand the situation better.
Essendomi alzato presto, ho avuto tempo di leggere.
Having gotten up early, I had time to read.
The reflexive essendomi, essendoti, essendosi, etc. is essentially the same pattern: the clitic (here, the reflexive) attaches to essendo. For full coverage of the compound gerundio, see gerundio passato: formation and usage.
Clitic clusters: the order survives
When you have multiple clitics — me lo, te ne, glielo, ce ne — the cluster moves as a unit and the internal order is exactly the same as before a finite verb.
Dicendomelo, mi avresti aiutato molto.
By telling it to me, you would have helped me a lot.
Spiegandocene il motivo, ha calmato tutti.
By explaining the reason for it to us, he calmed everyone down.
Glielo sto dicendo proprio adesso.
I'm telling it to him right now. (climbing)
Sto dicendoglielo proprio adesso.
I'm telling it to him right now. (enclitic — more formal)
There is no extra learning here: if you can produce me lo dici, te ne parla, glielo do, you can produce dicendomelo, parlandotene, dandoglielo. Same order, just glued to the end.
Common mistakes
❌ Lo vedendo, l'ho salutato.
Incorrect — bare gerundio takes enclitics, not proclitics. The clitic must follow.
✅ Vedendolo, l'ho salutato.
Correct — clitic attaches to the end of the gerundio.
❌ Sto vedendo lo.
Incorrect — the clitic and the gerundio are written as one word when enclitic.
✅ Sto vedendolo. / Lo sto vedendo.
Correct — either enclitic (one word) or climbed before stare.
❌ Avendo lo visto, l'ho salutato.
Incorrect — with the compound gerundio, the clitic attaches to 'avendo'.
✅ Avendolo visto, l'ho salutato.
Correct — clitic enclitic on the auxiliary, not the participle.
❌ Non lo vedendo, ho cominciato a preoccuparmi.
Incorrect — clitic must be enclitic on the gerundio, not before it.
✅ Non vedendolo, ho cominciato a preoccuparmi.
Correct — 'non' before gerundio, clitic enclitic on gerundio.
❌ Sto te lo dicendo.
Incorrect — with stare + gerundio, the clitic either climbs to before stare or attaches to the gerundio. It can't sit between them.
✅ Te lo sto dicendo. / Sto dicendotelo.
Correct — either climbed (preferred in speech) or enclitic (more written).
Key takeaways
Italian clitic placement with the gerundio comes down to four rules:
Bare gerundio: clitic always enclitic (one word). Vedendolo, parlandogli, dicendomelo.
Stare/andare/venire + gerundio: clitic can be enclitic on gerundio OR climb to before the auxiliary. Both are correct; climbing is preferred in spoken Italian, especially with stare.
Negation: non before the gerundio (or before the auxiliary in stare/andare/venire constructions). Clitic placement follows the rules above.
Compound gerundio: clitic enclitic on avendo or essendo, never on the participle. Avendolo visto, essendomi alzato.
Master these and clitic placement with non-finite verbs becomes second nature — and you'll have unlocked one of the structural features that most distinguishes Italian from English. For the broader treatment of clitic placement across all verb forms, see clitic placement. For the gerundio in its full range of meanings, start at the gerundio overview.
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Open the Italian course →Related Topics
- Il Gerundio: OverviewA2 — Italian's non-finite -ando / -endo form — what it is, what it does, and how it differs from the English '-ing' that learners always want to map onto it.
- Gerundio with andare, venire, stare (Extended Aspects)B1 — Beyond stare + gerundio: how andare and venire combine with the gerundio to express gradual progression — formal constructions you'll meet in news and literature.