Introduction to Double Pronouns

In Italian, it's possible to attach two pronouns to the end of a verb. This is common when a verb needs to convey both a direct and an indirect object. The structure generally follows the pattern:

Verb + Indirect Object Pronoun + Direct Object Pronoun

Below is a detailed explanation with examples.

Common Pronoun Combinations

The most frequently used combinations are:

• glielo, gliela, glieli, gliele (to him/her + it/them)
• melo, mela, meli, mele (to me + it/them when attached to a verb, e.g., "Darmelo" - to give it to me)
• telo, tela, teli, tele (to you + it/them when attached to a verb, e.g., "Dirtelo" - to tell you it)

Examples of Double Pronouns with Verbs

Verb with Pronouns	Translation	Example (Italian)	Translation (English)
Darglielo	To give it to him/her	Devo darglielo domani.	I have to give it to him/her tomorrow.
Farglielo	To do it for him/her	Posso farglielo subito.	I can do it for him/her right away.
Dirglielo	To tell him/her it	Hai già deciso di dirglielo?	Have you already decided to tell him/her it?
Mandarglielo	To send it to him/her	Gli ho promesso di mandarglielo.	I promised to send it to him/her.
Portarglielo	To bring it to him/her	Voglio portarglielo domani.	I want to bring it to him/her tomorrow.
Chiederglielo	To ask him/her for it	Posso chiederglielo dopo?	Can I ask him/her for it later?
Spiegarlelo	To explain it to her	Devo spiegarlelo meglio.	I have to explain it to her better.
Fartelo	To do it for you	Non preoccuparti, posso fartelo io.	Don't worry, I can do it for you.
Comprarglielo	To buy it for him/her	Penso di comprarglielo per il suo compleanno.	I’m thinking of buying it for him/her for his/her birthday.
Restituitelo	To return it to him/her	Devo restituitelo al più presto.	I have to return it to him/her as soon as possible.

Usage Tips

When attaching two pronouns to a verb:

• Pay attention to the order of the pronouns (indirect first, direct second).
• Watch out for sound changes, such as *gli* becoming *glie-*.
• In compound tenses, the pronouns can either be attached to the infinitive verb or placed before the auxiliary verb.

This structure helps to make sentences more concise and is common in everyday Italian.