One word instead of three
Hardly any command comes without a pronoun. English keeps them as separate words (tell it to me); in Italian Tell me it! becomes a single word: dimmelo. This applies to the familiar forms tu, noi and voi. With the polite form the pronoun stands before the verb: Mi dica.
Three commands you need every day
Dimmi come è andata.
Tell me how it went.
Scrivilo sul foglietto, se no lo dimentico.
Write it on the slip of paper, or I'll forget it.
Chiamami quando arrivi a casa.
Call me when you get home.
The preposition English needs disappears into the pronoun: listen to us is sentiteci, look at him is guardalo, wait for me is aspettami.
Reflexive verbs, ci and ne
Reflexive pronouns, ci and ne are attached too. With reflexive verbs the pronoun changes with the person: alzati, alziamoci, alzatevi. Many of these correspond to English phrasal verbs (sit down, hurry up, wake up). Where English adds a particle, Italian adds a pronoun.
Reflexives in everyday use
Sbrigati, il treno parte tra cinque minuti.
Hurry up, the train leaves in five minutes.
Siediti qui vicino a me.
Sit down here next to me.
Svegliatevi, sono già le nove!
Wake up, it's already nine!
Vediamoci davanti al cinema alle otto.
Let's meet in front of the cinema at eight.
ci and ne
Vacci domani, oggi è chiuso.
Go there tomorrow, it's closed today.
Pensaci bene prima di rispondere.
Think about it carefully before you answer.
Prendine due, sono piccoli.
Take two of them, they're small.
English can leave the reference implicit (go tomorrow, take two). Italian cannot: ci carries there / about it and ne carries of it / of them. Not Prendi due, but Prendine due.
After da', di', fa', sta', va'
Five very common verbs have a one-syllable tu form written with an apostrophe: da', di', fa', sta', va'. When you attach a pronoun, the apostrophe disappears and the pronoun's first consonant doubles. Only gli never doubles. With noi and voi nothing happens: Diteci, Facciamolo.
What happens when you attach
The most common short forms with pronouns
| Short form | with mi | with lo | with gli |
|---|---|---|---|
| da' (dare) | dammi | dallo | dagli |
| di' (dire) | dimmi | dillo | digli |
| fa' (fare) | fammi | fallo | fagli |
Doubling in context
Dimmi la verità, non mi arrabbio.
Tell me the truth, I won't get angry.
Fallo adesso, dopo non hai più voglia.
Do it now, later you won't feel like it.
Dammi un attimo, finisco questa mail.
Give me a moment, I'm finishing this email.
Digli che arriviamo con mezz'ora di ritardo.
Tell him we're arriving half an hour late.
Two pronouns in a row
When an indirect and a direct pronoun meet, they fuse as in a statement: mi, ti, ci, vi become me, te, ce, ve before lo, la, li, le, ne, and gli plus lo becomes glielo. Then everything is attached to the verb. The person comes first, the thing second, the opposite of English give it to me.
The order
Two pronouns in a sentence
Dammelo, lo porto io.
Give it to me, I'll carry it.
Se hai un problema, dimmelo.
If you have a problem, tell me.
Portamelo domani in ufficio.
Bring it to me at the office tomorrow.
Diglielo tu, a me non crede.
You tell him, he doesn't believe me.
Mandacela per mail, è più veloce.
Send it to us by email, it's quicker.
Negative commands allow two positions
The negative tu command is non plus the infinitive. You can attach the pronoun to the infinitive (which drops its final -e) or put it in front. Both are correct. With noi and voi the normal form stays, and both positions work there too: Non ditelo and Non lo dite. No helper like English don't is needed.
Attached or in front
Non dirlo a nessuno.
Don't tell anyone.
attached
Non lo dire a nessuno.
Don't tell anyone.
in front
Non preoccuparti, ci penso io.
Don't worry, I'll take care of it.
attached
Non ti preoccupare, ci penso io.
Don't worry, I'll take care of it.
in front
