Indirect Object Pronouns

In brief

Indirect object pronouns replace the person receiving something or the person an action is directed toward. They often correspond to English ‘to me,’ ‘to her,’ or simply ‘me’ and ‘her,’ depending on the verb: Le telefono means ‘I call her.’

Form

Use mi (to me), ti (to you), gli (to him), le (to her), ci (to us), vi (to you all), gli (to them). Place the pronoun before a conjugated verb: Le scrivo. (I write to her.)

Usage

• Use these pronouns instead of repeating a recipient: Do un libro a Marco → Gli do un libro. (I give Marco a book → I give him a book.)
• Some Italian verbs take an indirect object even when the English translation has no ‘to’: Le telefono. (I call her.)

Examples

• Ti mando un messaggio. — I’ll send you a message.
• Le telefono stasera. — I’ll call her tonight.
• Gli preparo un caffè. — I’ll make him a coffee.
• Ci racconti una storia? — Will you tell us a story?

Common mistake

❌ La telefono stasera.

✅ Le telefono stasera.

English ‘call her’ has no ‘to,’ but Italian telefonare takes a recipient (telefonare a qualcuno), so use le for ‘to her.’

Remember

With telefonare, use an indirect object pronoun even though English says ‘call someone.’