Teaching guidelines +/- 15 minutes

This lesson covers Italian personal pronouns like Io, Tu, Lui/Lei, Noi, Voi, and Loro, explaining their agreement with gender and number, and usage including the formal Lei.
  1. Pronouns must agree with the gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural) of the subject.
  2. Use masculine pronouns for a group of only men or a mixed group.
Persona (Person)Singolare (Singular)Plurale (Plural)
Prima (First)Io (I)Noi (We)
Seconda (Second)Tu (You)Voi (You (plural))
Terza (Third)Lui / Lei (He / She)Loro (They)

Exceptions!

  1. Lei is also used for the formal singular.
  2. The pronoun can be omitted: Ho fame (instead of Io ho fame).

Exercise 1: Pronomi personali

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Show translation Show answers

Tu, Io, Loro, Voi, Lei, Lui, Noi

1.
... è mio amico.
(He is my friend.)
2.
... hai una bella voce.
(You have a beautiful voice.)
3.
... ha una penna rossa? (formale)
(Do you have a red pen? (formal))
4.
... è la mia insegnante.
(She is my teacher.)
5.
... siamo in classe adesso.
(We are in class now.)
6.
... siete pronti per la lezione?
(Are you ready for the lesson?)
7.
... sono molto stanco oggi.
(I am very tired today.)
8.
... hanno una domanda.
(They have a question.)

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct solution

1. ___ sono pronta per iniziare la lezione.

(___ am ready to start the lesson.)

2. ___ vuoi un caffè?

(___ want a coffee?)

3. ___ è la nostra insegnante di italiano.

(___ is our Italian teacher.)

4. ___ lavora in ufficio.

(___ works in an office.)

5. ___ impariamo l’italiano ogni giorno.

(___ learn Italian every day.)

6. ___ siete pronti per la lezione?

(___ are you ready for the lesson?)

Introduction to Italian Personal Pronouns

This lesson covers the fundamental use of personal pronouns in Italian, focusing on their forms, usage, and agreements in person, number, and gender. As an A1 level student, you will learn how to identify and correctly apply the singular and plural pronouns for the first, second, and third persons.

What Are Personal Pronouns?

Personal pronouns in Italian are words that replace the subject noun in a sentence and indicate who is performing the action. They must agree in number (singular or plural) and gender (masculine or feminine) with the subject they refer to.

Forms of Personal Pronouns

PersonSingularPlural
FirstIoNoi
SecondTuVoi
ThirdLui / LeiLoro

Important Usage Notes

  • Lui corresponds to he, and Lei to she. However, Lei is also used formally for the singular you.
  • If the group is all male or mixed gender, use masculine pronouns.
  • The personal pronoun can often be omitted in Italian because the verb conjugation usually indicates the subject. For example, Ho fame means I am hungry without needing Io.

Examples of Use

  • Io sono pronta per iniziare la lezione. (I am ready to start the lesson.)
  • Tu vuoi un caffè? (Do you want a coffee?)
  • Lei è la nostra insegnante di italiano. (She is our Italian teacher.)
  • Lui lavora in ufficio. (He works in the office.)
  • Noi impariamo l’italiano ogni giorno. (We learn Italian every day.)
  • Voi siete pronti per la lezione? (Are you all ready for the lesson?)

Differences Between English and Italian

Unlike English, where subject pronouns are always required, Italian often omits them because verb endings indicate the subject clearly. For example, Italian speakers say Parlo instead of Io parlo for "I speak." Also, Italian distinguishes formal and informal second person singular with Lei (formal) vs. tu (informal), which English does not.

Key words:

  • Io - I
  • Tu - you (informal singular)
  • Lei - she / you (formal singular)
  • Lui - he
  • Noi - we
  • Voi - you (plural)
  • Loro - they

By mastering these pronouns, learners build a strong foundation for speaking and understanding Italian sentences confidently.

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:

Thursday, 17/07/2025 22:31