[Italian Grammar] How To Use Combined Pronouns in Italian

Learning how to use direct and indirect pronouns in Italian is quite tricky, but there’s a grammar element that might be even trickier. 

It’s combined (or double) pronouns, which is when both a direct and an indirect pronoun are used in the same sentence. Mastering the use of combined pronouns in Italian requires some effort, but it is essential if you want your Italian to sound natural and fluent.

I am writing this post to help you crack the code of using combined pronouns. As I always do with posts of this kind, I have also created a downloadable PDF file that you can keep and use to review this topic in the future. You can find the file in Your Italian Toolbox, the private page on my site where I upload all language-learning materials, under the section Grammar (you get access to the page by subscribing to my newsletter).

But let’s now see how to use combined pronouns in Italian. 

Combined pronouns refer to the use of a direct and an indirect pronoun in the same sentence. The indirect pronouns mi, ti, gli, ci, vi, gli are used together with the direct pronouns lo, la, le, li, and also ne, and they form a combination where the indirect pronoun comes first and the direct pronoun (or ne) follows.

For example:

Dai a me una mela? -> Me la dai? (me replaces a me, la replaces mela)

Ho rivelato il segreto a Marco -> Gliel’ho rivelato 

La mamma prepara la torta a noi – > La mamma ce la prepara

When the two pronouns are combined, the indirect pronouns mi, ti, ci, vi become me, te, ce, ve, while gli becomes glie and is attached to the direct pronoun (glielo, gliela, glieli, gliele). In the table below, you can see all the combined pronouns.

MI	TI	GLI	CI	VI	GLI
Me lo Me la Me li Me le Me ne	Te lo Te la Te li Te le Te ne	Glielo Gliela Glieli Gliele Gliene	Ce lo Ce la Ce li Ce le Ce ne	Ve lo Ve la Ve li Ve le Ve ne	Glielo Gliela Glieli Gliele Gliene

In terms of placement in the sentence, the combined pronouns can be:

1. Before the verb (and detached from the verb), if the verb is in the indicative, subjunctive, or conditional form.

For example:

te lo dico (indicative)

te lo dicessi (subjunctive)

te lo direi (conditional)

2. After the verb and attached to it, if the verb is in the infinitive, imperative, or gerund form.

For example:

Non posso dirtelo (infinitive)

Diglielo! (imperative)

Dicendoglielo (gerund)

3. To be more precise, if the verb is in the infinitive form and is accompanied by a modal verb, the combined pronouns can either be before or after the verb.

For example:

Non posso dirtelo

Non te lo posso dire

Please note that with compound tenses, the past participle must agree with the direct pronoun.

For example:

Ho regalato una maglietta a Franco -> Gliel’ho regalata (maglietta is feminine singular)

Ti abbiamo spedito le lettere -> Te le abbiamo spedite (lettere is feminine plural)

Ho dato il libro a Marco -> Gliel’ho dato (libro is masculine singular)

Ho portato i ragazzi a voi -> Ve li ho portati (ragazzi is masculine plural)

Here are some examples:

Dai a me il bicchiere? -> Me lo dai?

Dai a me il bicchiere!!! -> Dammelo!!!

Porto a te una torta -> Te la porto

Porto un regalo a Emilio -> Glielo porto.

Compri un regalo a Maria -> Glielo compro.

La mamma dà a noi dei regali -> La mamma ce li dà.

Mia sorella porta a voi un regalo -> Mia sorella ve lo porta.

La maestra dà a loro dei compiti -> La maestra glieli dà.

And some others with ne:

Quanti biglietti ti ho dato? Me ne hai dati tre

Quante matite mi porti? Te ne porto due

Quanti libri gli leggi? Gliene leggo uno

Quanti quadri ci regalano? Ce ne regalano uno

Quanti tappeti ci vendono? Ve ne vendono due

Quante bambole gli regali? Gliene regalo due

If you want to use this post to study combined pronouns, don’t forget the downloadable PDF file that you can find in Your Italian Toolbox, the private page on my site where I upload all language-learning materials, under the section Grammar (you get access to the page by subscribing to my newsletter).

Do you have any questions regarding the use of combined pronouns in Italian? Please ask them in the comments below!