Question 1

How does the word gliele work here?

Accepted Answer

Gliele is a combined double pronoun. It fuses the indirect object (who receives the action) and the direct object (what is being given). Here, it combines "to her" and le ("them"). When you put them together, they form the single word gliele (them to her).

Question 2

The English translation says "to her". Shouldn't "to her" be le, rather than starting with gli-?

Accepted Answer

Normally, yes! By themselves, "to him" is gli and "to her" is le. However, whenever you combine them with a direct object pronoun like lo, la, li, or le, both of them turn into the special prefix glie-. Because of this, gliele can mean "them to him", "them to her", or even "them to them" (loro). You have to rely on the context of the conversation to know which one it is.

Question 3

Why does the combined pronoun end in -e (gliele) instead of -o (glielo)?

Accepted Answer

The second half of gliele is the direct object pronoun le, which means "them" for feminine plural nouns. Since you are replacing le rose (the roses, which are feminine plural), you must use le, resulting in gliele. If you were giving a single masculine object, like a flower (il fiore), you would use lo, making it glielo.

Question 4

Where is the word for "you" in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

It is hidden inside the verb regali. This is the "you" (tu) form of the verb regalare (to give a gift) in the present tense. Because the -i ending already tells us the subject is "you", Italian drops the word tu.

Le rose sono belle, perché non gliele regali?

Breakdown of Le rose sono belle, perché non gliele regali?

Questions & Answers about Le rose sono belle, perché non gliele regali?

Learn Le rose sono belle, perché non gliele regali and more in Italian