The indirect object pronouns are used to substitute a person or an object preceded by the preposition "a".

For example:
Per favore, mi rispondi? → "mi" = a me
Ti telefono domani → "ti" = a te
Ho incontrato Marco e gli ho detto una cosa → "gli" = a lui, a Marco
Ho visto Maria e le ho parlato → "le" = a lei, a Maria
Ci piacciono i romanzi d'amore → "ci" = a noi
Vi sembra una buona idea? → "vi" = a voi
È l'anniversario dei miei genitori. Voglio regarlargli un viaggio. → "gli" = a loro

Indirect object pronouns normally go before the verb, but with modal or phrasal verbs (volere, potere, dovere, sapere, cominciare a, stare per, finire di) followed by an infinitive, they can either be used before the conjugated verb or after the infinitive.

For example:
"Mi vuoi parlare?" = "Vuoi parlarmi?"


COMMON VERBS THAT TAKE INDIRECT OBJECTS (even if in English they don’t use to):

• dare (to give) → Mi dai il libro?
• dire (to tell / say) → Ti dico la verità
• telefonare (to call on the phone) → Le telefono stasera
• mandare (to send) → Gli mando una mail
• chiedere (to ask) → Ci chiedono aiuto
• parlare (to talk) → Vi parlo domani
• piacere (to like) → Mi piace la musica reggae

The imperfetto is normally used:

• to indicate a habit or repetition:

"Di solito facevo ginnastica il martedì"
"In primavera andavo al parco tutti i giorni"

• in physical or weather descriptions:

"Da piccolo ero molto magro"
"Stamattina pioveva"

• for psychological descriptions, sensations or feelings:

"Non ho partecipato alla riunione perché ero stanchissimo"
"Ieri mi sentivo male"

• when expressing a continuous unfinished action, not definite in time:

"Ero a casa e guardavo la televisione"

• with stare + gerund and stare per + infinitive:

"Stavo guardando la partita"
"Stavo per telefonare, quando mi hai chiamato tu"

• after the word "mentre":

"Mentre la mamma cucinava, il papà lavava il pavimento"

• at the beginning of a fairy tale:

"C'era una volta una principessa..."


ATTENZIONE!
The passato prossimo is preferred when expressing an action with a definite timeframe:
"Ho studiato da mattina a sera"
"Sono andato a lezione di italiano tutto l'anno"

Both passato prossimo and imperfetto refer to the past, but they express different views of time and different kinds of past actions. Each tense highlights a different aspect of past experience.

• Passato prossimo: what happened — complete, specific, foregrounded events.
• Imperfetto: what was going on, used to happen, or what it was like — ongoing, habitual, or background situations.

PASSATO PROSSIMO — Completed actions or specific past actions.
It tells what happened, how many times, or when something started or ended.
In English it often corresponds to the simple past (“I went”, “I did”).

• Completed actions: used for actions that are finished and no longer ongoing — regardless of duration:

"Ho finito i compiti" → I finished my homework
"Abbiamo lavorato in un ufficio per 10 anni" → "We worked in an office for 10 years"

• Actions at a specific time: tied to a definite moment, often introduced by time expressions (ieri, lunedì scorso, stamattina, due ore fa…):

"Ho cenato alle 7" → I ate at 7 pm
"Stamattina ho incontrato mia sorella" → I met my sister this morning

• One-time or countable events: describes isolated or limited occurrences in the past. The action happened once or a specific number of time:

"Ho visto quella serie una volta" → I saw that series once
"Siamo andati negli Stati Uniti tre volte" → We went to the United States three times

• Action marking a change or a new event:

"Ha cominciato a piovere" → It started to rain

• Sequential actions: one action follows another, advancing the narration:

"Prima mi sono lavato i denti, poi mi sono messo il pigiama e infine sono andato a dormire" → First I brushed my teeth, then I put on my pajamas and finally I went to sleep




IMPERFETTO — Ongoing, Repeated, or Descriptive Past Actions.
It describes what things were like or what people used to do. Think of it as the “background” or “setting” of a story.
In English it often corresponds to used to, was / were + -ing, or would (in the sense of habit).

• Habitual or Repeated Actions: used for past habits or routines, without a defined start or end, often introduced by expressions like da bambino, ogni giorno, sempre, spesso, di solito…:

"Da piccolo mangiavo dai nonni tutti i giorni" → "When I was little, I ate at our grandparents' every day"
"Ogni anno andavamo in vacanza in Trentino" → "Every year we went on holiday to Trentino"

• Undefined Repetitions: repeated actions whose number is not specified:

"Dopo cena spesso giocavamo a carte" → After dinner we often played cards
"Durante il pranzo guardavo sempre il telegiornale" → During lunch I always watched the news

• Descriptions and background: used to describe settings, weather, time, age, or background details in narration:

"Era tardi" → It was late
"C'era il sole ma faceva freddo" → It was sunny but it was cold
"Avevo circa 15 anni"→ I was about 15 years old

• Emotional, mental, or physical states: expresses internal conditions in the past (feelings, thoughts, health):

"Mi sentivo giù di morale" → I was feeling down
"Avevi mal di gola?" → Did you have a sore throat?

• Simultaneous actions: two or more actions happening at the same time:

"Io stiravo e mio marito lavava il pavimento" → I was ironing and my husband was washing the floor

• Ongoing actions (no clear start or end): used to describe actions that were in progress at a certain moment in the past.

Often expresses background activity that sets the scene for another event (often in passato prossimo).
"Pioveva quando sono uscita" → It was raining when I went out
"Mentre camminavo nel parco, ho incontrato un vecchio amico" → While I was walking in the park, I ran into an old friend





COMBINED USE OF PASSATO PROSSIMO AND IMPERFETTO

• Background + interruption: ongoing background action (imperfetto) + sudden, completed interruption (passato prossimo)

"Mentre preparavo la cena, è arrivata Marta" → While I was preparing dinner, Marta arrived

• Habitual past + one-time event: habitual / continuous situation + specific event within that period

"Quando vivevo a Milano, ho incontrato Giorgio Armani" → When I lived in Milan, I met Giorgio Armani

• Scene setting + main event: descriptive context + main action that breaks it

"Ero sul divano e leggevo. A un certo punto, è suonato il telefono" → I was on the couch reading. At one point, the phone rang





MEANING DIFFERENCES WITH CERTAIN VERBS

• Conoscere – Knowing vs Meeting

Imperfetto: to know, to be familiar with
"Conoscevo una ragazza albina" → I knew an albino girl
Passato Prossimo: to meet (for the first time)
"Ho conosciuto una ragazza albina" → I met an albino girl

• Sapere – Knowing vs Finding Out

Imperfetto: to know
Sapevo che Mario aveva divorziato. → I knew Mario had divorced.
Passato Prossimo: to find out / learn
"Ho saputo che Rita e Lino si sono sposati" → I found out that Rita and Lino got married


MODAL VERBS (DOVERE, POTERE, VOLERE) – Uncertainty (perhaps the action happened, perhaps not) vs the action definitely happened

• Dovere

Imperfetto: obligation not necessarily carried out
"Dovevo studiare molto" → I was supposed to study a lot
Passato prossimo: obligation fulfilled
"Ho dovuto studiare molto" → I had to (and did) study a lot

• Potere

Imperfetto: ability or possibility (uncertain outcome)
"Potevi accompagnarmi" → You could (have) accompanied me
Passato prossimo: successful attempt / actual performance
"Hai potuto accompagnarmi" → You were able to accompany me

• Volere

Imperfetto: desire or intention (uncertain outcome)
"Voleva venire a pranzo da me" → He wanted to come to my house for lunch
Passato prossimo: realized desire / insistence
"Ha voluto venire a pranzo da me" → He / She insisted on coming to my house for lunch