loro
/ˈlo.ro/
The English word 'they' is translated into Italian as loro or essi.
Meaning: third-person plural pronoun (pron)
Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA |
|---|---|
| loro | /ˈlo.ro/ |
| essi |
Which one should you use?
loro is the common way to say 'they', while essi is a formal or literary version that is rarely used in everyday spoken conversation.
How does it change in a sentence?
Unlike many other Italian pronouns, loro is invariable and does not change based on the gender of the people being referred to.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /ˈlo.ro/. It has two syllables, with the stress on the first syllable.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly try to change loro to a different form to indicate masculine or feminine. However, loro remains the same for both.
Did you know?
- The word loro is a linguistic survivor from the Latin genitive case, meaning it was originally the form for 'of them' or 'their' before becoming a standalone subject pronoun.
- Unlike the English 'they' which can be used as a singular gender-neutral pronoun, Italian grammar does not have a widely accepted, standard single-word equivalent for the singular 'they' that follows the same rules as loro.
- While loro is the standard word for 'they', it is often omitted entirely in spoken Italian because the verb conjugation alone tells the listener who is performing the action.
Examples in context
- Loro mi odiano?Do they hate me?This sentence is useful for asking if a group of people feels hatred toward the speaker using loro.Tatoeba #4619131 by mark_townsend, translation #4614814 by CH
- Loro sanno chi è.They know who he is.This sentence is useful for stating that a group of people knows someone's identity using loro.Tatoeba #4208546 by Guybrush88, translation #1828599 by Amastan
- Loro non la odio.They don't hate you.This sentence is useful for expressing a lack of hatred toward someone using loro.Tatoeba #5776028 by Guybrush88, translation #2272125 by CK
- 4859 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lorenzo and Chiara are talking about some friends who are arriving late.
- LorenzoDove sono i nostri amici?Where are our friends?
- ChiaraLoro sono ancora in macchina.They are still in the car.
- LorenzoArriveranno presto?Will they arrive soon?
- ChiaraSì, loro arrivano tra cinque minuti.Yes, they are arriving in five minutes.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “they” translations and entries loro, essi, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries essi, loro, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
