Doing things to "each other"
When people do an action to each other, Italian uses plural reflexive pronouns. To express "each other," use ci (we), vi (you all), or si (they) before the verb.
You can turn almost any standard Italian verb into a mutual action. For example, vedere (to see) becomes vedersi (to see each other), and amare (to love) becomes amarsi (to love each other).
| You are in love, but you never see each other. | Siete innamorati, ma non vi vedete mai. |
| They love each other, even though they live far away. | Si amano, anche se abitano lontano. |
Relationship vocabulary
Many relationship verbs are inherently reflexive or reciprocal, such as frequentarsi (to date) and fidarsi (to trust each other).
| Marco and I have been dating for a month. | Io e Marco ci frequentiamo da un mese. |
| We trust each other because we are faithful. | Ci fidiamo perché siamo fedeli. |
The past tense
When using reciprocal verbs in the past tense (passato prossimo), always use the helping verb essere. The past participle must agree with the plural subject, ending in -i (for men or mixed groups) or -e (for women).
| They fell in love immediately. | Si sono innamorati subito. |
This pattern applies to all relationship milestones, including lasciarsi (to break up).
| We broke up because he was not faithful. | Ci siamo lasciati perché lui non era fedele. |
