What is a direct object pronoun?
A direct object pronoun replaces the direct object, the person or thing that directly receives the action. It answers the question whom? or what? In English it follows the verb (I see her), in Italian it stands right before it.
From noun to pronoun
La vedo.
I see her. (Maria)
Lo leggo.
I read it. (the book)
Non li invito.
I don't invite them. (the friends)
The forms
In the first and second person the forms are gender-neutral. Only the third person distinguishes gender: lo/li (masculine), la/le (feminine).
mi, ti, lo, la, ci, vi, li, le
| Person | Pronoun | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| io | mi | me |
| tu | ti | you |
| lui | lo | him / it (m.) |
| lei | la | her / it (f.) |
| noi | ci | us |
| voi | vi | you (pl.) |
| loro (m.) | li | them (m.) |
| loro (f.) | le | them (f.) |
Maria mi vede.
Maria sees me.
Non ti capisco.
I don't understand you.
Il professore ci aiuta.
The teacher helps us.
lo, la, li, le follow the Italian noun
In the third person you pick the pronoun by the gender and number of the Italian noun. English it does not show gender, but Italian does: il latte is masculine, so it is lo; la rivista is feminine, so it is la.
Il latte? Lo bevo ogni mattina.
The milk? I drink it every morning.
La rivista? La leggo volentieri.
The magazine? I like reading it.
Le chiavi? Non le trovo.
The keys? I can't find them.
Elision: lo/la become l'
Before a vowel or before ho, hai, ha, hanno, lo and la become l'. Whether a man or a woman is meant is then clear from the context. The plural forms li and le normally stay as they are.
Marco? L'aspetto qui.
Marco? I'm waiting for him here.
Maria? L'invito alla festa.
Maria? I'm inviting her to the party.
Le amiche? Le aspetto qui.
My friends (f.)? I'm waiting for them here.
