Breakdown of Signora, Le prometto che glieli porto domani mattina.
io
I
la mattina
the morning
domani
tomorrow
portare
to bring
che
that
li
them
la signora
the lady
le
to you
promettere
to promise
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Italian grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Signora, Le prometto che glieli porto domani mattina.
What does the capital Le mean?
It’s the formal indirect object pronoun meaning to you (addressing someone politely). The capital L is a courtesy capital often used in letters and polite address. So Le prometto = “I promise you (formal).”
Why are both Le and glieli in the sentence? Aren’t they the same thing?
They belong to different verbs:
- Le prometto: indirect object of promettere (who is being promised).
- glieli porto: object pronouns of portare (to whom you bring something and what you bring). They can refer to the same person (the addressee) or to different people; context decides.
What does glieli break down into?
- glie- = to him / to her / to you (formal) / to them (context decides)
- -li = them (masculine plural direct object) So glieli = “them to him/her/you/them.”
Why is it glieli and not gli li or le li?
Italian merges third-person indirect object pronouns with direct object clitics into a single cluster glie- + lo/la/li/le/ne:
- glielo, gliela, glieli, gliele, gliene Forms like gli li or le li are not used in standard Italian.
Can glieli mean “to them”?
Yes. In modern usage, gli often covers “to them,” so glieli can mean “I bring them to them.” If you need to be crystal clear, you can add a noun/pronoun: glieli porto a loro or avoid clitics: porto i libri a loro.
What if the things I’m bringing are feminine plural?
Use gliele (feminine plural direct object). Summary:
- glielo (masc. sing.)
- gliela (fem. sing.)
- glieli (masc. plural)
- gliele (fem. plural)
- gliene (some of it/them)
Why is it porto (present) and not porterò (future)?
Italian often uses the present to talk about the near future, especially with an explicit time like domani mattina. Porterò is also correct and can sound a bit more formal or emphatic: Le prometto che glieli porterò domani mattina.
Should it be the subjunctive (porti) after prometto che?
No. After promettere che, Italian takes the indicative (present or future), not the subjunctive. So che glieli porto/porterò is right; che glieli porti would be wrong here.
Can I say porto glieli instead of glieli porto?
No. With a finite verb (like porto), clitic pronouns go before the verb: glieli porto. They can go after only with infinitive, gerund, or imperative: portarglieli, portandoglieli, portaglieli!
Can I rephrase it with an infinitive?
Yes: Signora, Le prometto di portarglieli domani mattina. Here the clitics attach to the infinitive (portare → portarglieli).
Does glieli refer back to the Signora?
Often yes: “I promise you that I’ll bring them to you.” But it can also refer to someone else (him/her/them). Without context, glieli is ambiguous.
Why is there a comma after Signora?
Because Signora is a vocative (you’re addressing someone directly). Italian normally sets vocatives off with commas.
Do I have to capitalize Le? Should I capitalize glieli too?
- Capitalizing Le/La/Lei as courtesy pronouns is common in formal writing but optional; be consistent with your style.
- glieli is not capitalized, even when it refers to the formal Lei.
Is domani mattina any different from domattina?
They mean the same. Domattina (one word) is a very common, slightly more compact alternative to domani mattina. Both are fine.