When describing an ongoing action—like chasing energetic toddlers—you use the progressive tense: the conjugated verb stare followed by a gerund (a verb ending in -ando or -endo).
To add an object pronoun (like them or his), Italian gives you two choices for placement. Both mean exactly the same thing.
1. Before the verb "stare"
Place the object pronoun immediately before the conjugated verb stare.
| The little brother is throwing tantrums; I am calming him down. | Il fratellino fa i capricci; lo sto calmando. |
| The newborn is crying; I am changing his diaper. | Il neonato piange; gli sto cambiando il pannolino. |
| The little boy runs everywhere; I have been chasing him for an hour. | Il ragazzino corre ovunque; lo sto rincorrendo da un'ora. |
2. Attached to the gerund
Alternatively, attach the pronoun directly to the end of the gerund. You don't drop any letters; simply tack the pronoun onto the end to form a single word.
| He always throws tantrums; I am calming him down now. | Fa sempre i capricci; sto calmandolo adesso. |
| I am entertaining them in the garden, but I am exhausted. | Sto intrattenendoli in giardino, ma sono esausto. |
| The children are energetic, I am chasing them everywhere. | I bambini sono vivaci, sto rincorrendoli ovunque. |
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