Direct object pronouns
Lo, la, li, le replace a thing or person directly affected by the verb.
Direct object pronouns answer what? or whom? after the verb: mi (me), ti (you), lo (him, it — masculine), la (her, it — feminine), ci (us), vi (you plural), li (them — masculine), le (them — feminine).
They come directly before the conjugated verb: Lo vedo (I see him/it), La conosco (I know her), Li compri? (Are you buying them?). Before a vowel, lo and la shrink to l': L'ho visto ieri (I saw him/it yesterday).
With a modal verb the pronoun can attach to the infinitive instead: Lo voglio vedere or Voglio vederlo (I want to see it). In the passato prossimo with avere, the participle agrees with lo, la, li, le: Li ho visti (I saw them — masculine), L'ho vista (I saw her).
Examples
- Il caffè? Lo bevo ogni mattina. The coffee? I drink it every morning.
- Conosci Maria? — Sì, la conosco. Do you know Maria? — Yes, I know her.
- Ci chiamano domani. They are calling us tomorrow.
- Le chiavi? Le ho perse. The keys? I have lost them.
- Voglio comprarlo oggi. I want to buy it today.
Common mistake
Putting the pronoun after the verb as in English (Vedo lo) — Italian object pronouns go before the conjugated verb: Lo vedo.