Breakdown of Vi voglio dire un segreto.
un
a / an (masculine)
il segreto
the secret
volere
to want
dire
to say, to tell
vi
to you (plural)
Questions & Answers about Vi voglio dire un segreto.
Why is vi at the very beginning of the sentence?
Vi is an indirect object pronoun meaning 'to you' (plural). In Italian, these pronouns usually go right in front of the conjugated verb, which in this case is voglio.
Could I put vi somewhere else in this sentence?
Yes! When you have a helper verb like voglio followed by an unconjugated verb like dire (an infinitive), you have two choices. You can put the pronoun before the first verb (Vi voglio dire) or attach it to the end of the second verb by dropping its final -e (Voglio dirvi). Both are perfectly correct.
Why does this sentence use an indirect object pronoun instead of a direct one?
Because you are telling a secret to someone. English often drops the 'to' and just says 'tell you,' but Italian requires the indirect object pronoun to show who is on the receiving end of the telling.
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