gli

See also: gli-

Alemannic German

Alternative forms

• glii

Etymology

From Middle High German gelīch, from Old High German gilīh, from Proto-West Germanic *galīk, from Proto-Germanic *galīkaz. Compare German gleich.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡ̊li/

Adverb

gli

1. soon

   Synonym: bald

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (when in isolation or before a consonant) ^*/ʎi/, (before a vowel) ^*/ʎ/
• Hyphenation: gli

Etymology 1

From Latin illī (nominative masculine plural of ille). Cognate with Sicilian li~i.

Alternative forms

• li (archaic outside of dialects), gl' (apocopated)

Article

gli m pl (singular lo)

1. form of the article i (“the”) used before a vowel, impure s, gn, pn, ps, sc, x, y, and z, and also with the plural noun dei (“gods”); the

   gli alberi ― the trees

   gli studenti ― the students

   gli gnomi ― the gnomes

   gli pneumatici ― the tires

   gli sciami ― the swarms

   gli xilofoni ― the xylophones

   gli yogurt ― the yogurts

   gli zaini ― the backpacks

   gli dei ― the gods

Inflection

Italian definite articles

	singular	plural
masculine	il lo (l')	i gli
feminine	la (l')	le

Etymology 2

From Latin illī (dative masculine singular of ille). Cognate with Sicilian ci.

Alternative forms

• li (archaic), je (dialectal, Rome and central Italy), gl' (apocopated)

Pronoun

gli m (plural gli)

1. (dative) him, to him; it; to it

   Gli parlo. ― I talk to him.

Usage notes

• Becomes glie- when followed by a non-reflexive third-person accusative or genitive clitic pronoun (lo, la, li, le, or ne).

Etymology 3

From Latin illī (dative feminine singular of ille). Cognate with Sicilian ci.

Alternative forms

• je (dialectal, Rome and central Italy)

Pronoun

gli f (plural gli)

2. (dative, nonstandard) her, to her
   • ca. 1349-1353, Giovanni Boccaccio, The Decameron, Tommaso Edlin (1725), page 98:

     […] ne prima altro fece, che ella s’ingegnò di veder Beltramo, & appreſſo nel coſpetto del Re venuta di gratia chieſe, che la ſua infermita gli moſtraſſe.

     Before aught else she studied to see Bertrand and next, presenting herself before the king, she prayed him of his favour/favor to show her his ailment.

   Synonym: le

   Ho detto a Gianna che gli telefonerò domani.

   I told Gianna I'd call her tomorrow.

Usage notes

• Becomes glie- when followed by a third-person direct-object clitic pronoun (lo, la, li, le, or ne).
• Although historically attested and etymologically justifiable (from illī f sg), this form is nonetheless, to this day, considered incorrect and is therefore only acceptable in an informal, colloquial context and register.

Etymology 4

From Latin illīs (dative plural of ille). Cognate with Sicilian ci.

Alternative forms

• li (archaic), je (dialectal, Rome and central Italy), gl' (apocopated)

Pronoun

gli m pl or f pl

1. (dative) them, to them

   Gli parlerò. ― I'll talk to them.

   • For quotations using this term, see Citations:gli.

Usage notes

• Becomes glie when followed by a third-person direct-object clitic pronoun (lo, la, li, le, or ne).

Derived terms

• gliela
• gliele
• glieli
• glielo
• gliene

See also

Italian personal pronouns

		singular						plural
		first	second	second formal / polite5	third			first	second	second formal / polite5	third
				m or f	m	f				m or f	m	f
nominative		io	tu	Lei, Ella8	lui, egli8, elli3, 8, esso8	lei, ella8, essa8		noi	voi, Voi7	Loro	loro
elli3, 8, ellino4, 8, eglino4, 8, essi8	elle3, 8, elleno4, 8, esse8
atonic (clitic)11	accusative / dative-reflexive	mi, m', -mi, me9	ti, t', -ti, te9	―	si6, s', -si, se9			ci, c', -ci, ce9	vi, Vi7, v', V'7, -vi, -Vi7, ve9	―	si, s', -si, se9
	accusative			La, -La, L'	lo, l', -lo, il4	la, l', -la				Le, -Le	li, -li	le, -le
	dative			Le, -Le	glie9					Loro10	loro10, gli2, -gli2, glie9
					gli, -gli	le, -le, gli2, -gli2
	locative	―			ci, c', vi1, v'1			―			ci, c', vi1, v'1
	partitive	ne, n'		ne, n'
tonic12	prepositional-reflexive	―			sé			―			sé
	oblique	me	te	Lei	lui, esso8	lei, essa8		noi	voi, Voi7	Loro	loro,
											essi8	elle8, esse8
1	Formal.
2	Informal.
3	Archaic.
4	Obsolete.
5	Grammatically third person forms used semantically in the second person as a formal or polite way of addressing someone (with the first letter frequently capitalised as a sign of respect, and to distinguish them from third person subjects). Unlike the singular forms, the plural forms are mostly antiquated terms of formal address in the modern language, and second person plural pronouns are almost always used instead.
6	Also used as indefinite pronoun meaning “one”, and to form the passive.
7	Formal (capitalisation optional); in many regions, can refer to just one person (compare with French vous).
8	Traditional grammars still indicate the forms egli (animate), ella (animate), esso (inanimate), essa (inanimate), essi, esse as the nominative forms of the third person pronouns; outside of very formal or archaizing contexts, all such forms have been replaced by the obliques lui, lei, loro.
9	Forms used when followed by a third-person direct object proclitic (lo, la, li, le, or ne).
10	Used after verbs.
11	Unstressed forms, stand alone forms are found proclitically (except dative loro / Loro), others enclitically (-mi, -ti, etc.).
12	Disjunctive, emphatic oblique forms used as direct objects placed after verbs, in exclamations, along prepositions (prepositional) and some adverbs (come, quanto, etc.); also used with a to create alternative emphatic dative forms.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Alternative forms

• glida, glide (long forms)

Etymology

From Middle Low German gliden, from Proto-Germanic *glīdaną.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡliː/
• Homophone: glid

Verb

gli (present tense glir, past tense glei, supine glidd/glidt or glide, past participle glidd or gliden, present participle glidande, imperative gli)

1. to slip (to lose one's traction on a slippery surface)

   Han glei på isen.

   He slipped on the ice.

2. to glide (to move effortlessly)

   Skia glir godt.

   The skis glide well.

References

• “gli” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Swedish

Etymology

From a base meaning "shiny, something that shines in water," probably related to the root of glittra (“to sparkle, glisten”).

Noun

gli n

1. a fry (young fish)

   Synonym: fiskyngel

2. alternative form of glin (“(mischievous) child”)

Declension

Declension of gli

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	gli	glis
	definite	gliet	gliets
plural	indefinite	glin	glins
	definite	glina	glinas

References

• gli in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• gli in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• gli in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)