Combined Pronouns

When a sentence has both an indirect and a direct object pronoun, Italian combines them into a double pronoun (pronomi combinati). This is one of the most distinctively Italian grammar features and takes practice to master.

---

The Rule: Indirect Comes First

When combining pronouns, the indirect object pronoun always comes before the direct object pronoun:

Indirect + Direct = Combined Pronoun

---

The Combined Pronoun Table

The indirect pronoun changes form when combined. Here is the complete chart:

Indirect \ Direct	lo	la	li	le	ne
mi (to me)	me lo	me la	me li	me le	me ne
ti (to you)	te lo	te la	te li	te le	te ne
gli (to him)	glielo	gliela	glieli	gliele	gliene
le (to her)	glielo	gliela	glieli	gliele	gliene
Le (to you formal)	glielo	gliela	glieli	gliele	gliene
ci (to us)	ce lo	ce la	ce li	ce le	ce ne
vi (to you pl.)	ve lo	ve la	ve li	ve le	ve ne
gli (to them)	glielo	gliela	glieli	gliele	gliene

Key Patterns to Notice

1. Mi, ti, ci, vi change their final vowel to -e: mi → me, ti → te, ci → ce, vi → ve
2. Gli and le both become glie- and merge into one word with the direct pronoun: glielo, gliela, glieli, gliele
3. The combined forms with glie- are always written as one word
4. The other combined forms are written as two words: me lo, te la, ce li, etc.

---

How It Works: Step by Step

Take the sentence: "Do il libro a Marco." (I give the book to Marco.)

1. Identify the indirect object: a Marco → gli (to him)
2. Identify the direct object: il libro → lo (it, masc.)
3. Combine: gli + lo = glielo
4. Result: Glielo do. (I give it to him.)

More examples:

Full Sentence	Step 1: Indirect	Step 2: Direct	Combined	Result
Mando la lettera a Maria.	le	la	gliela	Gliela mando.
Porto i fiori a te.	ti	li	te li	Te li porto.
Compro le scarpe a noi.	ci	le	ce le	Ce le compro.
Dico la verità a voi.	vi	la	ve la	Ve la dico.
Regalo i libri ai bambini.	gli	li	glieli	Glieli regalo.

---

Position with Verbs

Combined pronouns follow the same position rules as single pronouns:

Before conjugated verbs

Example	English
Me lo dai?	Will you give it to me?
Glielo dico domani.	I'll tell it to him/her tomorrow.
Te la mando subito.	I'll send it to you right away.

Attached to infinitives