Contraction of the masculine article el.
l' m
Contraction of the feminine article la.
l' f
l' m or f
l'
strong/subject | weak (direct object) | weak (indirect object) | possessive | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
proclitic | enclitic | proclitic | enclitic | |||||
singular | 1st person |
standard | jo, mi3 | em, m’ | -me, ’m | em, m’ | -me, ’m | meu |
majestic1 | nós | ens | -nos, ’ns | ens | -nos, ’ns | nostre | ||
2nd person |
standard | tu | et, t’ | -te, ’t | et, t’ | -te, ’t | teu | |
formal1 | vós | us | -vos, -us | us | -vos, -us | vostre | ||
very formal2 | vostè | el, l’ | -lo, ’l | li | -li | seu | ||
3rd person |
m | ell | el, l’ | -lo, ’l | li | -li | seu | |
f | ella | la, l’4 | -la | li | -li | seu | ||
n | ho | -ho | li | -li | seu | |||
plural | ||||||||
1st person | nosaltres | ens | -nos, ’ns | ens | -nos, ’ns | nostre | ||
2nd person |
standard | vosaltres | us | -vos, -us | us | -vos, -us | vostre | |
formal2 | vostès | els | -los, ’ls | els | -los, ’ls | seu | ||
3rd person |
m | ells | els | -los, ’ls | els | -los, ’ls | seu | |
f | elles | les | -les | els | -los, ’ls | seu | ||
3rd person reflexive | si | es, s’ | -se, ’s | es, s’ | -se, ’s | seu | ||
adverbial | ablative/genitive | en, n’ | -ne, ’n | |||||
locative | hi | -hi |
1 Behaves grammatically as plural. 2 Behaves grammatically as third person.
3 Only as object of a preposition. 4 Not before unstressed (h)i-, (h)u-.
l'
l'
nominative | dative | accusative | disjunctive | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
singular | 1st person | eiu | mi | mè | ||
2nd person | tù | ti | tè | |||
3rd person | m | ellu | li | u, l' | ellu | |
f | ella | a, l' | ella | |||
plural | 1st person | noi | ci | noi | ||
2nd person | voi | vi | voi | |||
3rd person | m | elli | li | i, l' | elli | |
f | elle | e, l' | elle |
l' (definite)
It is used mainly in poetry and lyrics as a tool for enforcing a specific meter or rhythm, although it may at times be used in prose for a poetic stylistic effect.
A space is used after l' (e.g. "de l' mondo", not "de l'mondo"). It is most common after prepositions ending in a vowel, de l' (“of the”) being most common by far.
When possible it is pronounced at the end of the proceeding syllable rather than at the start of the following syllable (e.g. de l' animo (“of the soul”) is pronounced /del aˈni.mo/ rather than /de laˈni.mo/).
Frequent or consistent use of l' can be found as a feature of the idiolects of some people, but this is considered non-standard, and is discouraged by the majority of fluent speakers.
l' m or f
l' m or f
l' m or f (singular, definite)
l' m or f (third-person singular)
number | person | gender | nominative (subject) |
accusative (direct complement) |
dative (indirect complement) |
locative (at) |
genitive (of) |
disjunctive (tonic) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
singular | first | — | je, j’ | me, m’ | — | — | moi | |
second | — | tu | te, t’ | — | — | toi | ||
third | masculine | il | le, l’ | lui | y | en | lui | |
feminine | elle | la, l’ | elle | |||||
indeterminate | on1 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
reflexive4 | — | se, s’ | — | — | soi | |||
plural | first | — | nous | nous | — | — | nous | |
second2 | — | vous | vous | — | — | vous | ||
third | masculine | ils3 | les | leur | y | en | eux3 | |
feminine | elles | elles |
1 On can also function as a first person plural (although agreeing with third person singular verb forms).
2 Vous is also used as the polite singular form.
3 Ils and eux are also used when a group has a mixture of masculine and feminine members.
4 These forms are also used as third person plural reflexive.
l' m or f (definite)
Contration of li, from French lui.
l'
l'
l' m or f (apocopated) (definite)
l' m or f (apocopated)
Number | Person | Gender | Nominative | Reflexive | Accusative | Dative | Combined | Disjunctive | Locative | Partitive |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Singular | first | — | io | mi, m', -mi | me | me | — | |||
second | — | tu | ti, t', -ti | te | te | |||||
third | m | lui | si2, s', -si | lo, l', -lo | gli, -gli | glie, se2 | lui, sé | ci, c', vi, v' (formal) |
ne, n' | |
f | lei, Lei1 | la, La1, l', L'1, -la, -La1 | le3, Le1, -le3, -Le1 | lei, Lei1, sé | ||||||
Plural | first | — | noi | ci, c', -ci | ce | noi | — | |||
second | — | voi, Voi4 | vi, Vi4, v', V'4, -vi, -Vi4 | ve | voi, Voi4 | |||||
third | m | loro, Loro1 | si, s', -si | li, Li1, -li, -Li1 | gli, -gli, loro (formal), Loro1 |
glie, se | loro, Loro1, sé | ci, c', vi, v' (formal) |
ne, n' | |
f | le, Le1, -le, -Le1 | |||||||||
1 | Third person pronominal forms used as formal terms of address to refer to second person subjects (with the first letter frequently capitalised as a sign of respect, and to distinguish them from third person subjects). Unlike the singular forms, the plural forms are mostly antiquated terms of formal address in the modern language, and second person plural pronouns are almost always used instead. | |||||||||
2 | Also used as indefinite pronoun meaning “one”, and to form the passive. | |||||||||
3 | Often replaced by gli, -gli in informal language. | |||||||||
4 | Formal (capitalisation optional); in many regions, can refer to just one person (compare with French vous). |
l' f (singular)
Contraction of the masculine article el.
l' m sg
Contraction of the feminine article la.
l' f sg
l' m sg (definite)
l'
l' m and f (singular and plural definite)
l'
l' m (before a vowel)
l'
l'