How to Use Direct Object Pronouns in the Past Tense

How to Use Direct Object Pronouns in the Past Tense Pronouns, while they can be tricky when learning Italian, are such an essential part of sounding fluid and natural in conversation. Who wants to say â€Å"glasses† a hundred times in a situation like, â€Å"Where are the glasses? Oh, I found the glasses. Let’s put the glasses on the table†. You start to sound like a robot, which, let’s be honest, makes it a bit more difficult to make friends. To avoid this, you can use direct object pronouns, which you may know are mi, ti, lo, la, ci, vi, li, and le. Me (m) - Me Ci - Us Ti (t) - You (informal) Vi - You (all) Lo (l) - Him, it Li - Them (masculine) La (l) - Her, it Le - Them (feminine) La (L) - Him/her (formal) Li, Le - You (formal) (masculine feminine) Using Direct Object Pronouns in the Present In the present tense, using direct object pronouns is easier. For example, â€Å"I see it†, when â€Å"it† refers to a â€Å"un libro - book†, would be, â€Å"Lo vedo†. But what about when you want to express something in the past tense, like â€Å"I saw it†, with â€Å"it† still being â€Å"un libro - a book†? It would be, â€Å"L’ho visto†. So what is going on, and how can you use direct object pronouns in the past tense? How to Use Direct Object Pronouns in the Past Tense There are four moving parts to using direct object pronouns in the past tense. Is the noun you’re talking about masculine or feminine?Is the noun you’re talking about singular or plural?What conjugation must you use from the verb â€Å"avere† or essere?What is the past participle of the main verb? Once you’ve answered these questions, which trust me, will happen automatically after enough practice, you’ll be able to put together past tense sentences with direct object pronouns with ease. Let’s take a look at some examples and break down what’s happening. Abbiamo visto Teresa. - We saw Theresa. We want to say, We saw her. Is â€Å"Teresa† masculine or feminine? FEMININE.Is â€Å"Teresa† singular or plural? SINGULAR.What conjugation must I use from the verb â€Å"avere†? ABBIAMOWhat is the past participle of the main verb â€Å"vedere†? VISTO/VEDUTO So, â€Å"We saw her† would be, â€Å"Labbiamo vista.†    Why does â€Å"visto† end in an -a? That’s because the ending of the past participle, in this case â€Å"visto†, must agree in gender and number with the noun, which is â€Å"Teresa†. Notice how the pronoun â€Å"la† is shortened and combined with the verb â€Å"abbiamo†. This is because â€Å"abbiamo† begins with a vowel. Ho comprato i pantaloni. - I bought the pants.   We want to say, I bought them. Is the noun â€Å"i pantaloni† masculine or feminine? MASCULINE.Is the noun â€Å"i pantaloni† singular or plural? PLURAL.What conjugation must you use from the verb â€Å"avere†? HOWhat is the past participle of the main verb â€Å"comprare†? COMPRATO So the sentence, â€Å"I bought them† would be, â€Å"Li ho comprati†. Notice here how the last letter of the past participle â€Å"comprato† changes from an -o to an -i. This is because the ending of the past participle MUST agree in gender and number with the noun. Here’s another example. Ha ricevuto le lettere. - He received the letters. We want to say instead, â€Å"He received them†. Is the noun â€Å"le lettere† masculine or feminine? FEMININE.Is the noun â€Å"le lettere† singular or plural? PLURAL.What conjugation must you use from the verb â€Å"avere†? HAWhat is the past participle of the main verb â€Å"ricevere†? RICEVUTO So, the sentence would become, â€Å"Le ha ricevute.  - He received them†. TIP: When you have a singular pronoun, like â€Å"lo† or â€Å"la†, it will almost always combine with the verb, like â€Å"L’ho letto. - I read it.† Let’s do one more. Sono andati a trovare il nonno. - They visited their grandfather. We want to say, They visited him. Is the noun â€Å"nonno† masculine or feminine? MASCULINE.Is the noun â€Å"nonno† singular or plural? SINGULAR.What conjugation must you use from the verb â€Å"essere†? SONOWhat is the past participle of the main verb â€Å"andare†? ANDATI So if we wanted to change the sentence to â€Å"they visited him†, it would be: Sono andati a trovarlo. - They visited him. Notice that the pronoun â€Å"lo† is not at the beginning of the sentence like in the past three examples. You’re able to attach it to the end of the full verb, â€Å"trovare†, by just removing the -e. This is possible when there are two verbs (like â€Å"andare† and â€Å"trovare†) in the phrase. Also, when the auxiliary verb is essere, the verb must agree with the subject.

Shakespearean Love in A Midsummer Nights Dream

Shakespearean Love in A Midsummer Nights Dream A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1600) has been called one of William Shakespeare’s greatest love plays. It has been interpreted as a romantic story in which love ultimately conquers all odds. However, A Midsummer Night’s Dream is actually a written piece on the importance of fertility, not love. Shakespeare’s ideas about love are represented by the powerless young lovers, by the meddling faeries and their magical love, and by forced love as opposed to chosen love. All of these points undermine the argument that this play is a typical â€Å"love story† and help build the case that Shakespeare actually intends to demonstrate the powers of sex and fertility over love. The first idea of love is its powerlessness, represented by the â€Å"true† lovers. Lysander and Hermia are the only two characters in the play who are actually in love. Yet, their love is forbidden both by Hermia’s father and by Duke Theseus. Hermia’s father speaks of Lysander’s love as witchcraft, saying Lysander is â€Å"the man that bewitched the bosom of my child† and â€Å"with feigning voice verses of feigning love/stol’n the impression of her fantasy† (27, 31-2). These lines prove that true love is an illusion, a false ideal.   Egeus goes on to say that Hermia belongs to him, proclaiming, â€Å"she is mine, and all my right of her/I do estate unto Demetrius† (97-98). These lines demonstrate the lack of power that Hermia and Lysander’s love holds in the presence of familial law. Furthermore, Demetrius tells Lysander to â€Å"yield thy crazà ©d title to my certain right,† which means that it is only to the worthiest suitor that a father must give his daughter, regardless of love (91-2). Finally, Hermia and Lysander’s eventually wedlock is due to two things: faerie intervention and noble decree. The faeries enchant Demetrius to fall in love with Helena, therefor freeing Theseus to allow Hermia and Lysander’s union. With his words, â€Å"Egeus, I will overbear your will; / For in the temple, by and by, with us / These couples shall eternally be knit,† Theseus is proving that it is not love which is responsible for the joining of two people, but the will of those in power (178-80). Thus, even for the true lovers, it is not love which conquers, but power in the form of royal decree. The second idea, the weakness of love, comes in the form of faerie magic. The four young lovers and the imbecilic actor are entangled in a love game, puppet-mastered by Oberon and Puck. The faerie’s meddling causes both Lysander and Demetrius, who were fighting over Hermia, to fall for Helena. Lysander’s confusion even leads him to believe he hates Hermia; he asks her,â€Å"Why seek’st thou me? Could not this make thee know / the hate I bear thee made me leave thee so?† (189-90). That his love is so easily extinguished and turned to hatred shows that even a true lover’s fire can be put out by the feeblest wind.   Furthermore, Titania, the powerful faerie goddess, is bewitched into falling in love with Bottom, who has been given a donkey’s head by mischievous Puck. When Titania exclaims â€Å"What visions have I seen! / Methought I was enamored of an ass,† we are meant to see that love will cloud our judgment and make even the normally level-headed person do foolish things (75-76). Ultimately, Shakespeare makes the point that love cannot be trusted to withstand any length of time and that lovers are made into fools. Finally, Shakespeare gives us two examples of choosing powerful unions, rather than amorous ones, in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. First, there is the tale of Theseus and Hippolyta. In lines 16-17, Theseus says to Hippolyta, â€Å"I wooed thee with my sword / And won thy love doing thee injuries.† Thus, the first relationship that we are greeted with is the result of Theseus claiming Hippolyta after defeating her in battle. Rather than courting and loving her, Theseus has conquered and enslaved her. He creates the union for solidarity and strength between the two kingdoms.   Next is the example of Oberon and Titania, whose separation from each other results in the world becoming barren. Titania exclaims, â€Å"The spring, the summer / The childing autumn, angry winter, change / Their wonted liveries, and the mazà ©d world / By their increase now knows not which is which† (111-14). These lines make it clear that it is not in consideration of love that these two must be joined, but in consideration of the fertility and health of the world. In general, then, it is not love that decides who should be joined, but the fertileness created by the union. The sub-plots in A Midsummer Night’s Dream demonstrate Shakespeare’s dissatisfaction with the idea of love as a supreme power and his belief that power and fertility are the two prime factors in deciding a union. The images of greenery and nature throughout the story, as when Puck speaks of Titania and Oberon meeting neither â€Å"in grove or green / By fountain clear, or spangled starlight sheen† further suggest the importance that Shakespeare places on fertility (28-29). Also, the faerie presence within Athens at the end of the play, as sung by Oberon, suggests that lust is the enduring power and, without it, love cannot last: â€Å"Now, until the break of day / Through this house each fairy stray / To the best bride-bed will we / Which by us shall blessed be† (196-99).   Ultimately, Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream suggests that believing only in love, creating bonds based on a fleeting notion rather than on lasting principles such as fertility (offspring) and power (security), is to be â€Å"enamored of an ass.†