Italian Indirect Object Pronouns (Mi, Ti, Gli, Le, Ci, Vi): A Clear Guide + Drills
Vurbit Team
Language Expert
Italian indirect object pronouns are the small words that mean things like:
- to me, to you, to him/her, to us, to you (plural), to them
They show up constantly with everyday verbs like dire (to say/tell), dare (to give), chiedere (to ask), and scrivere (to write).
Indirect pronouns are all about “who receives it.” If you want to test your own sentences quickly, try Vurbit’s AI translator on iOS and compare versions with and without pronouns.
Table of contents
- What is an indirect object?
- The pronoun chart
- Where pronouns go
- High-frequency verbs that take indirect objects
- Examples you can copy
- Practice drills + answer key
What is an indirect object?
The indirect object is typically the person who receives something — often introduced by a in Italian.
- Do il libro a Marco. — I give the book to Marco.
- Scrivo a mia madre. — I write to my mom.
- Dico la verità a te. — I tell the truth to you.
The pronoun chart
| Pronoun | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| mi | to me | Mi dici? — Can you tell me? |
| ti | to you | Ti do un consiglio. — I’ll give you advice. |
| gli | to him (also: to them in informal speech) | Gli parlo. — I talk to him. |
| le | to her | Le scrivo. — I write to her. |
| ci | to us | Ci mandi un messaggio? — Can you send us a message? |
| vi | to you (plural) | Vi dico la verità. — I’ll tell you the truth. |
| gli | to them (standard Italian: loro; common spoken: gli) | Gli ho detto tutto. — I told them everything. |
Note: In careful, formal Italian, “to them” is loro (e.g. Ho detto loro…). In everyday spoken Italian, many people use gli for “to them.”
Where pronouns go
Most of the time, indirect pronouns go before the conjugated verb:
- Mi dici la verità? — Can you tell me the truth?
- Le scrivo domani. — I’ll write to her tomorrow.
With an infinitive (two options)
- Ti voglio dire una cosa. — I want to tell you something.
- Voglio dirti una cosa. — (same meaning)
High-frequency verbs that take indirect objects
These are some of the most useful verbs to practice with indirect pronouns:
- dire (a qualcuno) — to tell (someone)
- dare (a qualcuno) — to give (someone)
- chiedere (a qualcuno) — to ask (someone)
- scrivere (a qualcuno) — to write (to someone)
- mandare (a qualcuno) — to send (to someone)
- parlare (a qualcuno) — to talk (to someone)
Mini conjugation: dare (present)
| Verb Dare | ||
|---|---|---|
| Subject | Verb | English meaning |
| Io | do | I give |
| Tu | dai | You give |
| Lui/Lei | dà | He/She gives |
| Noi | diamo | We give |
| Voi | date | You (pl.) give |
| Loro | danno | They give |
Examples you can copy
- Mi dai una mano? — Can you give me a hand?
- Ti mando un messaggio. — I’ll send you a message.
- Gli dico tutto. — I’ll tell him everything.
- Le ho scritto ieri. — I wrote to her yesterday.
- Ci puoi dire dov’è? — Can you tell us where it is?
- Vi spiego dopo. — I’ll explain to you later.
Practice drills + answer key
Drill 1: replace the indirect object with a pronoun
- Dico la verità a te.
- Scrivo a Maria domani.
- Mandiamo una foto a voi.
Drill 2: translate
- I’m telling you something.
- We wrote to them yesterday.
Answer key (examples)
Drill 1: 1) Ti dico la verità. 2) Le scrivo domani. 3) Vi mandiamo una foto.
Drill 2 (possible answers): 1) Ti sto dicendo una cosa. / Ti dico una cosa. 2) Gli abbiamo scritto ieri. (spoken) / Abbiamo scritto loro ieri. (formal)
Next step: combine indirect + direct pronouns (e.g. me lo, te la, glielo). That’s one of the biggest “wow” moments in Italian.