A2.35 - Local services and shops

Combined pronouns

I pronomi combinati

I pronomi combinati uniscono pronomi diretti e indiretti.

(Combined pronouns join direct and indirect pronouns.)

What “combined pronouns” do (in one idea)

Italian can replace two objects at once:

  • Indirect object (to/for someone): a me, a te, a lui, a lei, a noi, a voi, a loro
  • Direct object (the thing): il/lo, la, i/li, le

When both are pronouns, Italian uses one combined block before the verb:

  • pronome indiretto + pronome diretto → me lo, te la, glieli…

Build it step by step (a reliable method)

  1. Find the “person” part (to whom?): a me/a te/a lui…
  2. Turn it into an indirect pronoun: mi, ti, gli/le, ci, vi, gli (loro)
  3. Find the “thing” part (what?): il libro, la chiave, i documenti, le regole…
  4. Turn it into a direct pronoun: lo, la, li, le
  5. Combine (indirect + direct) and place it before the verb.

The small change you must remember: mi/ti/ci/vi → me/te/ce/ve

This is the #1 source of mistakes.

When alone When combined Example
mi me Mi dai il libro? → Me lo dai?
ti te Ti mando la foto. → Te la mando.
ci ce Ci spieghi le regole? → Ce le spieghi?
vi ve Vi do l’indirizzo. → Ve lo do.

Not: mi lo, ti la, ci le, vi lo

Word order: “to someone” comes before “it”

In combined pronouns, the sequence is fixed:

  • me/te/ce/ve/gli/le + lo/la/li/le

Typical correction:

  • Lo me dai? → Me lo dai?
  • Le te porto. → Te le porto.

“Gli / le” becomes “glie-” when it merges

When you combine gli (to him) or le (to her) with a direct pronoun, you usually see glie-:

Meaning Combined pronoun Example
to him/her + it (m.) glielo Do il file a Sara. → Glielo do.
to him/her + it (f.) gliela Porto la chiave a Marco. → Gliela porto.
to him/her + them (m.) glieli Mando i documenti a lei. → Glieli mando.
to him/her + them (f.) gliele Spiego le regole a lui. → Gliele spiego.

Note: for “to them” you may see gli in modern Italian; the combined forms are the same: glielo, gliela, glieli, gliele.

Position with verbs: before the verb, or attached to the infinitive

  • Finite verb (conjugated): combined pronoun goes before the verb.
    • Me lo porti domani?
    • Ce la mandate via WhatsApp?
  • Infinitive: combined pronoun attaches to the end of the infinitive.
    • Vuoi darmelo? (dare + me lo)
    • Devo spiegarvelo. (spiegare + ve lo)

With a two-verb structure (voglio / devo / posso + infinitive) both patterns are common, but the attached form is very natural:

  • Te lo posso dire. / Posso dirtelo.

Quick spelling tip: lo/la → l’ before a vowel or “h”

Before a vowel (or h), lo and la shorten to l’:

  • Me l’ invii oggi? (= me lo / me la, depending on the thing)
  • Gliel’ ho già detto. (= glielo/gliela)

Self-check: the apostrophe only tells you the next word starts with a vowel; you still decide masculine/feminine from the noun.

Self-check in 10 seconds (before you hit “submit”)

  1. Did I choose the correct direct pronoun? (lo/la/li/le matches the noun.)
  2. Did I choose the correct indirect pronoun? (to me/you/him/her/us/you all/them)
  3. Did I apply the change mi→me, ti→te, ci→ce, vi→ve?
  4. Is the order indirect + direct?
  5. Is it placed before the verb, or attached to the infinitive?
  1. They are formed with the formula: indirect pronoun + direct pronoun.
  2. The pronouns mi, ti, ci, vi become me, te, ce, ve.
  3. Combined pronouns are always placed before the verb.
Pronome indiretto (indirect pronoun)Pronome diretto
+ Lo (+ it (masculine singular))+La (+ it (feminine singular))+ Li+ Le
Mi (a me) (me (to me))Me lo (to me it)Me la (to me it)Me li (to me them)Me le (to me them)
Ti (a te) (you (to you))Te lo (to you it)Te la (to you it)Te li (to you them)Te le (to you them)
Gli / le (a lui / a lei) (to him / to her (to him / to her))Glielo (to him/her it)Gliela (to him/her it)Glieli (to him/her them)Gliele (to him/her them)
Ci (a noi) (us (to us))Ce lo (to us it)Ce la (to us it)Ce li (to us them)Ce le (to us them)
Vi (a voi) (you (plural) (to you))Ve lo (to you (plural) it)Ve la (to you (plural) it)Ve li (to you (plural) them)Ve le (to you (plural) them)
Gli (a loro)Glielo (to them it)Gliela (to them it)Glieli (to them them)Gliele (to them them)

Exceptions!

  1. Combined pronouns attach to the verb when it is in the infinitive. Example: Marco mi vuole dare un libro -> vuole darmelo
  2. Before words that begin with a vowel or "h", lo, la become l': me l', te l', ce l', ve l', gliel'.

Exercise 1: Multiple choice

Instruction: Choose the correct answer

1. Ho comprato un caricatore nel negozio d'elettronica: puoi prestarmi___ per un giorno?

I bought a charger at the electronics store: can you lend ___ to me for a day?

2. Il commesso dice che domani ___ consegna al centro commerciale.

The shop assistant says that tomorrow ___ he’ll deliver at the shopping mall.

3. Hai comprato le scarpe nuove? Se vuoi, ___ porto io in lavanderia insieme alle mie cose.

Did you buy the new shoes? If you want, ___ I’ll take to the dry cleaner together with my things.

4. Ho portato l'orologio dal calzolaio: mi ha detto che vuole ripararmi___ entro venerdì.

I took the watch to the cobbler: he told me that he wants to repair ___ for me by Friday.

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct sentence with combined pronouns.

1.
Common mistake: with combined pronouns "mi" becomes "me" (you say "me le", not "mi le").
Word order mistake: first comes the indirect object pronoun and then the direct object one (me + le), not "le me".
2.
Word order mistake: the indirect object pronoun must come before the direct one (te lo), not "lo te".
Common mistake: wrong position and incorrect form, "ti" becomes "te" with combined pronouns and the order is indirect + direct (te + lo).

Exercise 3: Rewrite the phrases

Instruction: Rewrite the sentences by replacing the indirect object and the direct object with the correct combined pronoun (me/you/him/her/us/you + it/her/them). Example: “Dai il libro a me” → “Me lo dai” / “Vuoi dare il libro a me” → “Vuoi darmelo”.

Show/Hide translation Show/Hide hints
  1. Puoi portare i documenti a me, per favore?
    ⇒ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Me li puoi portare, per favore?
    (Can you bring them to me, please?)
  2. Diamo la chiave a te dopo la riunione.
    ⇒ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Te la diamo dopo la riunione.
    (We’ll give it to you after the meeting.)
  3. Marco compra un regalo per Sara e poi dà il regalo a lei.
    ⇒ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Marco compra un regalo per Sara e poi glielo dà.
    (Marco buys a gift for Sara and then gives it to her.)
  4. Puoi mandare la foto a noi via WhatsApp?
    ⇒ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Ce la puoi mandare via WhatsApp?
    (Can you send it to us on WhatsApp?)

Exercise 4: Grammar in action

Instruction: Talk and decide where to buy and who to give the items to.

Show/Hide translation
Situation
Fai commissioni in centro e chiedi a un amico consigli sui negozi.
(You’re running errands downtown and ask a friend for advice about the shops.)
Discuss
  • Quali negozi locali vi servono e perché? (Which local shops do you need and why?)
  • Cosa devi comprare per qualcuno e come glielo dai? (What do you have to buy for someone and how do you give it to them?)
Useful words and phrases
  • Alla cartoleria: puoi prendermi il quaderno e darmelo? (At the stationery shop: can you get me the notebook and give it to me?)
  • Dal fruttivendolo: le mele sono buone, me le prendi? (At the greengrocer’s: the apples are good, will you get them for me?)
  • Dal fiorista: il mazzo è pronto, glielo porti tu? (At the florist’s: the bouquet is ready, will you take it to them?)
Use in conversation
  • me lo / me la / me li / me le (me lo / me la / me li / me le)
  • te lo / te la (te lo / te la)
  • glielo / gliela (glielo / gliela)

Written by

This content has been designed and reviewed by the coLanguage pedagogical team: About coLanguage

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Fabio Pirioni

Bachelor in Humanities

University of Udine

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Last Updated:

Saturday, 18/04/2026 14:05