The ability to use pronouns in Italian and to harmonize them with verbs is not so much an indicator of competent speech, but a necessary minimum of verbal communications. Using these verbal constructions, you can explain your actions or intentions, build a basic dialogue with native speakers. Proficiency in the language will require already a deep knowledge of nouns and adjectives, but the necessary minimum consists of verbs with pronouns.
Personal pronouns
The study of Italian pronouns should begin with personal, direct and indirect, in order to be able to decline the verb and explain who or what it is about. Personal pronouns in Italian are used to indicate a person or subject:
- Io - me. Io canto. I sing.
- Tu - you. Tu ami. You love.
- Lui is he. Lui dorme. He's sleeping.
- Lei is her. Lei ride. She is laughing.
- Lei - You (courtesy). Lei vuole. Do you want to.
- Noi are us. Noi danziamo. We Dance.
- Voi is you. Voi studiate. You study.
- Loro - they are. Loro aspettano. They are waiting.
When politely addressing a person in Italy, the pronoun Lei (with a capital letter in written speech) is used, to a group of people - loro (rarely) or voi. Although the appeal "you" in Italy is used much more often than in the Slavic countries. It is noteworthy that there is no middle gender in the Italian language, which is why it is quite easy to use your vocabulary when preparing sentences and selecting pronouns.
Italian verbs change the endings depending on the person and number, so often when speaking, personal pronouns are omitted. In this way, the Italian language is very similar to Russian, and learning it for this reason becomes easier. For example: guardo - watch (I watch), ascoltiamo - listen (we listen), mangiate - eat (you eat), cantano - sing (they sing).
However, due to this tendency, it is difficult for a beginner to perceive language in the literary works of poetry - it is difficult to parse many songs, read the Divine Comedy in the original.
Personal pronouns must be indicated when logical emphasis is put on them (it is he, not us) and in the case of the following usage:
- Anche (too, also). Anche lui canta male. He also sings badly.
- Nemmeno, neanche, neppure (also not, not even). Non vuole andare a questa festa neanche lei. Even she does not want to go on this holiday.
- Stesso (himself, the most). Ha deciso lui stesso. He himself decided.
In other situations, they can be freely omitted without losing the meaning of what was said.
Direct pronouns
Direct pronouns in Italian are used in sentences without an excuse. They are equivalent to the genitive case of the Russian language and answer the question "who?" In sentences, they play the role of direct complement.
Shock form (used to logically highlight a pronoun in Italian):
- Me - me. Alberto vede me. Alberto sees me (just me).
- Te - you. Alberto vede te. Alberto sees you.
- Lui is his. Alberto vede lui. Alberto sees him.
- Lei is hers. Alberto vede lei. Alberto sees her.
- Lei (always capitalized) - you. Alberto vede Lei. Alberto sees you.
- Noi is us. Alberto vede noi. Alberto sees us.
- Voi is you. Alberto vede voi. Alberto sees you.
- Loro is theirs. Alberto vede loro. Alberto sees them.
Impactless form:
- Mi is me. Maria mi aspetta. Maria is waiting for me.
- Ti - you. Maria ti aspetta. Maria is waiting for you.
- Lo is his. Maria lo aspetta. Maria is waiting for him.
- La is hers. Maria la aspetta. Maria is waiting for her.
- La (with a capital letter) - you. Maria La aspetta. Maria is waiting for you.
- Ci is us. Maria ci aspetta. Maria is waiting for us.
- Vi is you. Maria vi aspetta. Maria is waiting for you.
- Li - them (men), le - them (women). Maria li aspetta. Maria is waiting for them.
The pronouns in Italian are given in unstressed form before the verb, and in stressed form after the verb.
Indirect pronouns
Indirect pronouns in Italian are used together with the preposition.
Impact Forms:
- Me to me. Roberto scrive me. Roberto is writing to me.
- Te to you. Roberto scrive te. Roberto is writing to you.
- Lui to him. Roberto scrive lui. Roberto writes to him.
- Lei to her. Roberto scrive lei. Roberto writes to her.
- Lei - to you. Roberto scrive Lei. Roberto is writing to you.
- Noi to us. Roberto scrive noi. Roberto writes to us.
- Voi is for you. Roberto scrive voi. Roberto is writing to you.
- Loro - them. Roberto scrive loro. Roberto writes to them.
Unshocked forms:
- Mi to me. Claudia mi regala. Claudia gives me.
- Ti - to you. Claudia ti regala. Claudia gives you.
- Gli to him. Claudia gli regala. Claudia gives him.
- Le to her. Claudia le regala. Claudia gives her.
- Le - to you. Claudia Le regala. Claudia gives you.
- Ci to us. Claudia ci regala. Claudia gives us.
- Vi is for you. Claudia vi regala. Claudia gives you.
- Loro / gli - them. Both one and the other pronouns are used. The loro form is placed after the verb, and the gli form is before the verb. Claudia regala loro. (Claudia gli regala). Claudia gives them.
Thus, pronouns in the Italian language coincide in direct and indirect stressed forms. It is important to remember that stressed forms always follow verbs in the indirect case. Unstressed at all take the form of only indirect cases. In the dative case, they are an indirect complement, while in the accusative they are a direct complement.
The unstressed pronoun Lo is appropriate to use as the equivalent of questo in the direct complement function. For example, lo capisco (I understand this) instead of capisco questo (I understand this). You should pay attention to the arrangement of the verb and the complement.
Combination of direct and indirect pronouns
In one sentence, direct and indirect pronouns can be found immediately. In this case, the indirect pronoun precedes the direct one and changes: the final letter -i changes to -e (mi, ti, ci, vi turn into me, te, ce, ve).
Ti do questo fiore. I give you this flower.
Te lo do. I give it to you.
Mi portano le lettere. They bring me letters.
Me le portano. They bring them to me.
Ci chiedono aiuto. They are asking for help from us.
Ce lo chiedono. They are asking her from us.
Perhaps it is difficult for a beginner to immediately understand the rules and patterns of using pronouns. Nevertheless, linguistic practice, reading and translation of the Italian text, as well as improving the level of knowledge of the Russian language will allow you to quickly and more fully learn this colorful original language.