Italian Subject Pronouns: Io, Tu, Lui, Lei, Noi, Voi, Loro
A0 · Lesson 07 · Subject pronouns
Seven little words for people. One question tells you which one to use.
Quick answer
The Italian subject pronouns are io (I), tu (you, one friend), lui (he), lei (she), noi (we), voi (you all) and loro (they). Lei with a capital L is the polite “you”. There is no “it”, and Italians often drop the pronoun because the verb already shows who.
Io and tu: me and you
Start with the two people in every conversation: the one talking and the one listening.
io
EE-oh
I (me!). Small letter, always: not like the English “I”.
One personI speaktu
TOO
you, when you talk to one person you know well: a friend, your sister, your dog.
InformalOne person💡 In simple words
io = the person who is talking.
tu = the one friend who is listening.
Careful: English speakers often say “eye-oh”. It is EE-oh, two quick sounds.
Lui and lei: he and she (and no “it”!)
Now the people you talk about: one man, one woman.
lui
LOO-ee
he: Marco, your dad, the waiter… and the dog.
One personTalking about himlei
LAY
she: Sofia, your mom, the barista… and the cat.
One personTalking about her📌 The rule
Italian has no word for “it” when you talk about animals.
Every animal is a he or a she: the dog is lui, the cat is lei.
Not sure if it’s a boy or a girl? Italians just pick one. Nobody checks.
Excuse me. In Italian I am lei. Not “it”. Lei. Write that down.
Noi: me + other people
Now we need words for groups. The first one: a group with you in it.
noi
NOY
we: me + other people. Me and my friends, me and my husband, me and my cat.
Two or moreI’m in the group💡 In simple words
Are you in the group? → noi
Voi: all of you
Talking to a whole group? English says “you” again. Italian has its own word.
voi
VOY
you all: when you talk to two or more people. Like “you guys” or “y’all”.
Two or moreThey are listening💡 In simple words
tu = you, one friend.
voi = you, two or more people. Italian finally has the “y’all” English is missing!
Walk into a room with your two Italian cousins and talk to both: that is voi.
Loro: they
The last group word: people who are not in the conversation.
loro
LOH-roh
they: two or more people you talk about. Men, women, mixed: always loro.
Two or moreTalking about them
All the Italian subject pronouns in one table
Seven words, two questions. That’s the whole system.
| One person | Two or more | |
|---|---|---|
| I speak | ioEE-oh · I | noiNOY · we |
| I talk to | tuTOO · you | voiVOY · you all |
| I talk about | lui · leiLOO-ee · LAY · he · she | loroLOH-roh · they |
💡 In simple words
Ask yourself two things:
1. One person or more?
2. Do I speak, talk to them, or talk about them?
Seven pronouns. I only use one: io. Io, io, io. It’s all about me.
Lei with a capital L: the polite “you”
One more “you”, for people you don’t know. And it looks very familiar.
Lei
LAY
you, polite: the waiter, a stranger, an older person, the hotel receptionist.
PoliteOne person📌 Same word, two jobs
lei = she · Lei = you (polite). Same sound, same spelling.
The capital L is only for writing. When you speak, the situation tells you which one.
Did you know?
Lei è stanca? (LAY eh STAHN-kah) can mean Is she tired? or Are you tired, madam? Only the situation tells you which!
When to use tu and when to use Lei gets its own lesson: Tu or Lei? Formal and informal Italian.
Italians usually drop the pronoun
Here’s the good news: most of the time, Italians don’t say these words at all.
Sono Anna.
SOH-noh AHN-nah · I am Anna.
= io
Sei stanco?
SAY STAHN-koh · Are you tired?
= tu
💡 In simple words
sono can only be “I am” here, sei can only be “you are”. So io and tu are not needed.
Learn Sono… and Sei…? as ready-made blocks. The full verb comes later.
You can say Io sono Anna: it is correct. It just sounds like you are stressing it: “I am Anna (not her!)”.
Marco
at home
Chi è?
Who is it?
you
Sono io! Anna!
It’s me! Anna!
Marco
at home
Ciao, Anna! Sei stanca?
Hi, Anna! Are you tired?
you
Sì!
Yes!
Nobody said tu and nobody said io in “Sei stanca?”. The verb did the job.
Gli italiani dicono…
Chi è? – Sono io!
kee EH · SOH-noh EE-oh · Who is it? – It’s me! At the door, at the intercom, on the phone. Italians answer Sono io!, never just “Io!”.
Who is who? Three quick tricks
Mixed groups are where people get stuck. Use these and you never will.
io e Marco
me and Marco
= noi
tu e Sofia
you and Sofia
= voi
Marco e Sofia
Marco and Sofia
= loro
💡 In simple words
Is io in the group? → noi.
No io, but tu is in it? → voi.
Only other people? → loro.
e (eh) = and. Easy one.
Common mistakes English speakers make
Talking about your dog: esso → lui
Italian has no everyday “it” for animals. The dog is lui, the cat is lei.
At the intercom: Io! → Sono io!
“Io!” alone sounds strange. Always Sono io!
Introducing yourself: Io sono, io sono… → Sono…
Drop the io. The verb already says it’s you.
Talking to your two cousins: tu → voi
Two or more people listening = voi.
Writing “Anna and I”: Anna e Io → Anna e io
Italian io has a small i, unless it starts the sentence.
Step 10 · Practice
🍕 Your turn
Start with a quick warm-up, then press Check. Want more? Open the extra exercises below. Mistakes are part of it. No pressure.
Warm-up · 5 questions
Which pronoun?
1. I
2. we
3. the cat
4. you all (two friends)
5. Marco and Sofia
See more exercises · 41 questions ▾Hide the extra exercises ▴
1 · One or more? Speak, listen or talk about?
Choose the pronoun.
1. You talk about your brother.
2. You talk to your best friend.
3. You talk about you and your husband.
4. You talk about your two neighbors.
5. You talk to your three Italian cousins.
6. You talk about your grandma.
7. You talk about yourself.
8. You talk about the dog.
9. You talk to your sister.
10. You talk about your parents.
2 · Swap the names for a pronoun
Who is who? Choose.
1. io e Marco
2. tu e Sofia
3. Marco e Sofia
4. io e il gatto
5. tu e Luca
6. Paolo e Giulia
7. io, Anna e Tom
8. il cane e il gatto
3 · Right or wrong?
Is the pronoun right?
1. The cat = lei
2. The dog = esso
3. Me and my friends = voi
4. You and Sofia = voi
5. Two women you talk about = loro
6. At the intercom: “Chi è?” – “Io!”
7. At the intercom: “Chi è?” – “Sono io!”
8. Lei with a capital L = polite “you”
4 · Tu, voi or Lei?
You are talking to these people. Which “you”?
1. Your best friend
2. A waiter you don’t know
3. Your two kids
4. An older lady at the bus stop
5. Your brother
6. Your whole Italian class
5 · Write it in Italian
Type the pronoun or the phrase. Capital letters and punctuation don’t matter.
1. I
2. we
3. they
4. you all
5. she (or: the cat!)
6. he (or: the dog!)
7. Who is it? – It’s me!
8. I am Anna.
9. Are you tired? (to a male friend)
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Ci vediamo la prossima settimana! – Sì, alla prossima lezione! Ciao!
See you next week! – Yes, see you at the next lesson! Bye!
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Written by Luciana
Native Italian teacher, CEDILS certified, 10,000+ lessons since 2020.
