Ve vs. vi

In Italian, the second-person plural pronoun vi becomes ve when it is followed by a third person direct object clitic pronoun (lo, la, li, le, or ne).

Ve

  • you (followed by direct object clitic pronoun)

    Ve ne ha parlato? (Did she talk to you about it?)
    Non ve lo potete permettere. (You can't afford this.)
    Ve la presterò. (I'll lend it to you.)

Vi

  • you (second-person plural accusative pronoun)

    Perché vi hanno assunti? (Why did they hire you?)
    Vi ho visti al parco con lei. (I saw you in the park with her.)

  • (to) you (second-person plural dative pronoun)

    C'è qualcosa di cui vi devo parlare. (There's something I need to talk to you about.)
    Vi suggerisco di abbassare la voce. (I suggest you keep your voices down.)

  • yourselves (second-person plural reflexive pronoun)

    Vi dovreste andare a lavare i denti. (You should go and brush your teeth.)
    Vi siete divertite alla festa ieri? (Did you enjoy the party yesterday?)