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Understanding Italian Direct Object Pronouns
In Italian, direct object pronouns are little words that replace the direct object in a sentence. They help us avoid repeating the same words over and over again. Think of them as shortcuts!
Important Points
mi - me
ti - you (informal)
lo - him/it (masculine)
la - her/it (feminine)
ci - us
vi - you all
li - them (masculine)
le - them (feminine)
In a sentence, the direct object pronoun usually comes before the verb. This is different from English, where the pronoun comes after the verb. Let's look at how this works.
Examples
Vedo il gatto. -> Lo vedo.
Mangio la mela. -> La mangio.
Chiamo te. -> Ti chiamo.
Remember, the pronoun must agree in gender and number with the noun it replaces. For example, if you're talking about a masculine noun like 'il libro' (the book), you use 'lo'. If it's a feminine noun like 'la torta' (the cake), you use 'la'.
Examples
Leggo il libro. -> Lo leggo.
Guardo le stelle. -> Le guardo.
Invito gli amici. -> Li invito.
When using direct object pronouns in compound tenses like the passato prossimo, the past participle agrees in gender and number with the pronoun. This is a bit more advanced, but it's good to know!
Examples
Ho mangiato la pizza. -> L'ho mangiata.
Ho visto i film. -> Li ho visti.
Ho letto le lettere. -> Le ho lette.
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