Basic Italian: A Grammar and Workbook

The third person plural pronoun gli is used for both masculine and feminine.
For the third person plural, loro can be used instead of gli, but it always
follows the verb; the meaning is the same, but the use of loro is far less
frequent and is more formal.

Negative form

3 The negative is formed by putting non before the pronoun:

4 When an indirect object pronoun is used with a verb in the infinitive (usu-
ally after verbs like dovere, potere, volere or sapere), it can be attached to the
infinitive, which drops the final vowel:

Each pair of sentences has exactly the same meaning – the form used makes
no difference.

Mi mandi una cartolina da Roma?

Vi scrivo appena arrivo.

È il compleanno di Anna: le regalo

un CD.

Se Dario non ha l’auto, gli dò un

passaggio.

Ti impresto i soldi.

‘Scrivi agli zii?’ ‘No, gli telefono

domani/No, telefono loro domani.’

Gli dico la verità/Dico loro la verità.

Will you send me a postcard from

Rome?

I’ll write to you as soon as I arrive.

It’s Anna’s birthday: I’m giving her a

CD.

If Dario hasn’t got his car, I’ll give

him a lift.

I’ll lend you the money.

‘Are you going to write to your

uncles?’ ‘No, I’ll phone them

tomorrow.’

I’m going to tell them the truth.

Non ti impresto i soldi.

Non le scrivo, le telefono.

Non gli rispondo.

I won’t lend you the money.

I’m not going to write (to her), I’ll phone her.

I’m not going to reply to/answer him.

Le voglio parlare.

Gli devo scrivere.

Mi potete telefonare?

Mi sai dire quando?

or

or

or

or

Voglio parlarle.

Devo scrivergli.

Potete telefonarmi?

Sai dirmi quando?

I want to talk to her.

I must write to him/them.

Can you phone me?

Can you tell me when?