Fusing "it" and "to him / her"
When talking about third parties—like sending a gift to a secret crush or keeping a secret from a friend—we often need to combine "it" with "to him" or "to her".
While combined pronouns like me lo and te la are written as two separate words, the third-person indirect pronouns (gli for "to him" or "to them", le for "to her") behave differently. They merge entirely with the direct object pronoun (lo, la, li, le) to form a single word, bridged by an e.
| Indirect Object | Direct Object | Combined Form | Meaning |
|---|
| gli / le | lo (it, m.) | glielo | it to him / her / them |
| gli / le | la (it, f.) | gliela | it to him / her / them |
Notice that glielo and gliela are identical whether you are saying "to him", "to her", or even "to them". You must rely on context to know who is receiving the object.
Like all object pronouns, they usually go immediately before the conjugated verb. If you are using a helper verb like potere (can/to be able to), the pronoun goes before the helper verb.
Plural combinations: glieli and gliele
If the objects being sent or revealed are plural ("them"), you will use the direct object pronouns li (masculine plural) or le (feminine plural). The fusing rule remains exactly the same.
| Indirect Object | Direct Object | Combined Form | Meaning |
|---|
| gli / le | li (them, m.) | glieli | them to him / her / them |
| gli / le | le (them, f.) | gliele | them to him / her / them |
Even in negative sentences, the combined pronoun stays tightly fused. Simply place it just after non and before the verb.