25 January 2026

Episode 18: Combined Pronouns - Placement, Agreement + Reflexives

We learn Italian step by step | Impariamo l'italiano piano piano

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Episode 18 is all about one big question: once you know how to form combined pronouns, where do you actually put them in the sentence?

In this episode, we walk through the four main placement situations step by step: before conjugated verbs, attached to infinitives with modal verbs, attached to informal positive commands, and with negative commands. Then we add an essential rule that makes everything click in the passato prossimo: past participle agreement when the direct object pronoun comes before the verb.

And because this comes up constantly in real Italian, we also include reflexive pronouns combined with direct object pronouns, with clear examples you can start using right away.

You’ll also get a fun mini-story practice section with dialogue and fill-in-the-blank responses, so you can train your ear and your instincts in a more natural way.

Piano piano, it starts to feel automatic.

⏳ CHAPTERS

0:00 Intro
1:50 Part 3: Where Do Combined Pronouns Go?
2:35 Situation 1: Before Conjugated Verbs
4:56 Agreement in the Passato Prossimo (Preview)
6:08 Practice Mini-Story: Scene 1
8:14 Situation 2: With Infinitives (After Modal Verbs)
9:12 Option 1: Attached to the Infinitive
9:56 Option 2: Before the Modal Verb
10:41 Situation 3: Positive Commands (Attached Pronouns)
12:17 Formal Commands
13:56 Negative Formal Commands
14:37 Scene 2: Informal Commands
15:55 Quick Summary: Pronoun Placement
17:18 Part 4: Combined Pronouns in the Passato Prossimo
18:41 Passato Prossimo Examples
21:49 Apostrophes Explained
22:08 Story Scene 3: Passato Prossimo Agreement
23:51 Story Scene 4: Modal Verbs (Two Options)
25:54 Part 5: Reflexive Pronouns
28:32 Scene 5: Reflexive + Direct Object Pronouns
30:06 Wrap-Up

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