UNIT FOURTEEN
Direct and indirect object pronouns
(3: stressed forms)
1 Direct and indirect object pronouns do not only have the unstressed (or
weak) forms that we saw in Units 7, 10 and 13: they also have stressed
(or strong) forms:
- As usual, the pronoun Lei (third person singular feminine) and the pronoun
Loro (third person plural) are used for the formal form.
2 The stressed forms of direct object and indirect object pronouns are used
to give emphasis to the pronoun or to stress a contrast; unlike unstressed
forms, they normally come after the verb, except when used with the verbs
piacere, sembrare, servire, bastare, parere and mancare (see Unit 11). Stressed
forms always refer to people, not objects:
Direct object stressed forms Indirect object stressed forms
me
te
lui/lei/Lei*
noi
voi
loro/Loro*a me
a te
a lui/a lei/a Lei*
a noi
a voi
a loro/a Loro*Chiamo voi, non loro.
Vedo lei, ma non vedo lui.
Aspetto Francesco, non te.
Invito solo te.
Invito solo Lei, Signor Paoli.
A me non piace il caffè.
A me sembra giusto.
Telefono a te, ma non a loro.
Billy scrive a noi e non ai suoi
genitori.
Devi rendere i soldi a me, non a mio
fratello.I’m calling/phoning you, not them.
I can see her, but I can’t see him.
I’m waiting for Francesco, not you.
I’m only inviting you.
I’m only inviting you, Mr Paoli.
I don’t like coffee.
I think it’s fair/It seems fair to me.
I’ll phone you, but not them.
Billy writes to us and not his parents.Yo u’ve got to give me the money, not
my brother.