Learn Italian: Il tecnico è qui, gli mostri la fattura. - The technician is here, show him the invoice.

Il tecnico è qui, gli mostri la fattura.

The technician is here, show him the invoice.

Breakdown of Il tecnico è qui, gli mostri la fattura.

Questions & Answers about Il tecnico è qui, gli mostri la fattura.

Why does gli come before the verb instead of attaching to the end?

In formal commands (when addressing someone politely as Lei), object pronouns like gli always go before the verb. If we were speaking informally to a friend (tu), the pronoun would attach to the end of the verb, making it mostragli.

Wait, isn't mostri the tu form of the verb? Why is it used for a formal command here?

Good eye! It looks identical to the tu present tense, but this is actually the formal imperative. For -are verbs like mostrare (to show), the formal command uses an -i ending (mostri), while the informal command uses an -a ending (mostra).

Does gli refer to the person we are speaking to, or the technician?

Gli is an indirect object pronoun that means 'to him' and refers to the technician. The verb mostri is directed at the person you are formally speaking to. You are politely telling them: 'Show to him the invoice.'

What kind of bill is a fattura?

A fattura is an official invoice or receipt for services, usually from a professional, a technician, or a supplier. If you just want the bill at a restaurant, you would ask for il conto instead.