I pronomi combinati: me lo, te la, glielo
I pronomi combinati: me lo, te la, glielo means “When two pronouns meet: indirect first, and mi/ti/ci/vi become me/te/ce/ve”. Order is fixed: indirect then direct. Formation: indiretto + diretto — mi/ti/ci/vi + lo/la/li/le/ne → me lo, te la, ce li, ve ne · gli/le + lo → glielo (sempre gli-)
When two pronouns meet: indirect first, and mi/ti/ci/vi become me/te/ce/ve
B1Formation
indiretto + diretto — mi/ti/ci/vi + lo/la/li/le/ne → me lo, te la, ce li, ve ne · gli/le + lo → glielo (sempre gli-)
Explanation
Order is fixed: indirect then direct. The indirect forms mi, ti, ci, vi change their final -i to -e: mi + lo = me lo, ti + la = te la, ci + li = ce li, vi + ne = ve ne. The third person is special: both gli (to him) and le (to her) become glie- and fuse into one word — glielo, gliela, glieli, gliele, gliene. So gliela do means 'I give it to him' or 'to her' alike; only context distinguishes them. With an infinitive or informal imperative the whole cluster attaches to the end: voglio dirtelo, dammelo, portaglielo. And in the passato prossimo the participle still agrees with the direct pronoun: me li ha dati, gliel'ho data.
Examples
Note
Spanish speakers have a big head start: se lo doy maps onto glielo do almost exactly, including the fusion of the indirect form. The difference is that Italian writes it as one word.
FAQ
I pronomi combinati: me lo, te la, glielo — what does it mean and how is it used?
When two pronouns meet: indirect first, and mi/ti/ci/vi become me/te/ce/ve. Order is fixed: indirect then direct. The indirect forms mi, ti, ci, vi change their final -i to -e: mi + lo = me lo, ti + la = te la, ci + li = ce li, vi + ne = ve ne. The third person is special: both gli (to him) and le (to her) become glie- and fuse into one word — glielo, gliela, glieli, gliele, gliene. So gliela do means 'I give it to him' or 'to her' alike; only context distinguishes them. With an infinitive or informal imperative the whole cluster attaches to the end: voglio dirtelo, dammelo, portaglielo. And in the passato prossimo the participle still agrees with the direct pronoun: me li ha dati, gliel'ho data.
I pronomi combinati: me lo, te la, glielo — how do you form it?
indiretto + diretto — mi/ti/ci/vi + lo/la/li/le/ne → me lo, te la, ce li, ve ne · gli/le + lo → glielo (sempre gli-)
I pronomi combinati: me lo, te la, glielo — any usage notes?
Spanish speakers have a big head start: se lo doy maps onto glielo do almost exactly, including the fusion of the indirect form. The difference is that Italian writes it as one word.