Indirect objects
In Italian, an indirect object answers the question "to whom?" or "for whom?" an action is done. You will use these constantly with verbs involving communication or giving, such as dare (to give), dire (to say/tell), rispondere (to answer), prestare (to lend), and mostrare (to show).
Instead of repeating the person's name, you can use an indirect object pronoun.
Singular indirect object pronouns
Just like reflexive pronouns, indirect object pronouns are placed immediately before the conjugated verb.
| Subject | Pronoun | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| io | mi | to me |
| tu | ti | to you |
| lui | gli | to him |
| lei | le | to her |
| Marco gives me a book. | Marco mi dà un libro. |
| I am telling you the truth. | Ti dico la verità. |
| I am showing him the city. | Gli mostro la città. |
| Why are you writing her a letter? | Perché le scrivi una lettera? |
Plural indirect object pronouns
Here are the pronouns for plural subjects. Notice that gli does double duty: it means both "to him" and "to them" in modern spoken Italian.
| Subject | Pronoun | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| noi | ci | to us |
| voi | vi | to you (plural) |
| loro | gli | to them |
| They show us the castle. | Ci mostrano il castello. |
| Who is lending you the money? | Chi vi presta i soldi? |
| I'm lending them my notebook. | Gli presto il mio quaderno. |
Pronoun placement with modal verbs
If a sentence has a modal verb (like wanting, being able to, or having to do something) paired with a dictionary-form infinitive, you can simply put the indirect object pronoun right before the conjugated modal verb.
| I want to tell you a secret. | Vi voglio dire un segreto. |