send · Italian (mandare) — Event-Structure Dictionary

Arguments

Sender, Theme, Recipient or Goal · Italian cloth · working claim, revisable

Voice[Sender] + low Appl(Recipient) or a PP Goal inside the verb’s domain + complement of the root (Theme)

mandare · Theme direct object · Recipient a+NP, or dative gli/le · with the Theme clitic, glielo/gliela · the two spellings of the Recipient are printed apart · a place Goal is a, in, or da · that place takes ci, not gli · no personal a

mandare / inviare someone a + infinitive · the person who goes is the direct object · mandare a dire sends word · mandare via sends someone away · auxiliary avere · the participle agrees with a preceding direct-object clitic (l’ho mandata)

A sending, on this reading, has a Sender, a Theme, and a third participant that is not one marking. Voice adds the Sender. The root’s complement is the Theme, the direct object: the thing that is sent, or the person who is sent. The third slot splits. a plus a person, and the dative clitic gli or le, are drawn as a Recipient, a low Appl inside the verb’s domain, the same kind of added argument as the a Learner on insegnare. A place PP is drawn as a Goal inside the verb’s domain: a, in, or da, the prepositions of andare. That split is a working drawing. It is not a settled analysis. a plus a noun phrase is the spelling of the Recipient and of a city. The clitic is what separates them. gli and le are the Recipient. A place is ci. The person who is sent is a bare direct object. Italian does not print a personal a on that person.

What is different from the English gloss. Cambridge prints the person of send as a double object, labeled [+ two objects], in I'll send her a letter/email/parcel/postcard next week, and also in to, in Could you send a reply to them as quickly as possible? A place in the articles opened on the German page is to or into (Send a letter to my office). A place as the first object, send Paris a letter, is unprinted. send Mary the package is that double object with a name in the first slot. It is unprinted. Italian prints the person as a plus a noun phrase, or as gli or le. It does not print a bare first object, and it does not print the clitic and the full noun phrase together in the send examples opened here.

What is different from Spanish enviar. On enviar the Recipient is a plus a noun phrase doubled by le, and the DPD prints both in one clause: El mensaje se lo envió a sus amigas. Before lo that dative is se. The same Spanish a is a Recipient, a place, and personal a of an animate direct object. Italian prints the dative and the a-phrase in different clauses. A neutral doubling of a full Recipient, of the Spanish kind, is unprinted on mandare, inviare, and spedire. The cluster is glielo or gliela, not se lo. The person who is sent is bare: l’ho mandato dal dottore. There is no personal a. A place is not left without a clitic in the grammar articles: it is ci, and ci for a lui is the dialectal use Treccani sets apart.

What is different from French envoyer. On envoyer the Recipient is à plus a noun phrase or the dative clitic lui, printed apart, and a place takes y. Italian matches the split, with gli/le for the person and ci for the place. French lui does not change shape before the Theme clitic on the lines opened there. Italian gli and le both become glie- before lo or la. A French infinitive is bare. Italian prints a before the infinitive. French chez is the neighbour of Italian da.

What is different from German schicken. On schicken the Recipient is a bare dative, or an+accusative, and a person-dative is printed beside a place. A full Italian noun phrase has no case ending. The Recipient is a or a clitic. A recipient clitic beside a place is printed on inviare: inviarmi la posta al nuovo indirizzo. A full a-phrase of a person beside a place, in one clause, is unprinted on the verb lines opened here.

Places · who wears which marking

The three verbs are not three frames. mandare is the general verb. Treccani sense 2 is a person as direct object, sent to a place or for a purpose. Sense 3 is a thing, far sì che un oggetto pervenga, and the entry glosses it inviare. De Mauro marks both of those readings FO. spedire, in the sense the articles set apart, is the post or a carrier: Treccani sense 2b, per mezzo dei servizî postali o di altri servizî di trasporto; De Mauro AU sense 1, per mezzo della posta; Garzanti sense 1; Sabatini-Coletti sense 1, a mezzo posta o corriere. The same articles also print spedire of a person on an errand. Treccani sense 2a calls that use a synonym of the more common inviare and mandare. inviare is printed as that synonym: Treccani sense 2 Mandare, spedire; De Mauro FO; Garzanti mandare, spedire, indirizzare; Sabatini-Coletti Spedire, mandare. A label formale on inviare is unprinted. The arguments, where the send sense is printed, are the same three places.

Printed mandare frame · thing to a person · dative le · direct Theme · no full noun beside the clitic

✓ per la sua festa le manderò un mazzo di fiori Treccani · mandare sense 3a

for her birthday I will send her a bunch of flowers

Printed a + person · no clitic in the clause · and a + city as the other third slot

✓ m. il pacco agli amici, a Roma Sabatini-Coletti · mandare sense 2 · the comma separates two examples · agli amici is the person · a Roma is the place

send the parcel to one’s friends, or to Rome

Printed person who is sent · bare direct object · da + person as the place

✓ l’ho mandato dal dottore Garzanti · mandare sense 1 · l’ is the direct object · dal dottore is the place · auxiliary avere

I sent him to the doctor

Places of Italian send: introducer, marking, case status, English marking
Place	Introduced by (working)	Italian marking	Case status	English marking
Sender	Spec,Voice	subject of mandare, inviare, and spedire	structural subject · a passive of the person who is sent is printed (è stato mandato come ambasciatore) · a passive of a letter is unprinted	subject of send
Recipient · a+NP	low Appl · revisable · a PP spelling of the same slot as gli/le	a + noun phrase (alla sposa · agli amici · a qualcuno · a un amico)	the verb articles print the a-phrase without the clitic · a full noun has no case ending · a is also the city marker, so the phrase alone does not say Recipient or Goal · it is not personal a of a direct object	to + person (to them) · or the first object of [+ two objects] (her)
Recipient · gli / le · glielo / gliela	low Appl · clitic · revisable · not a doubling of a full noun in the same neutral clause	dative gli for a lui · le for a lei (le manderò · le ha mandato dei fiori · gli hanno mandato a dire) · before lo/la both are glie- (glielo, gliela · non glielo mandai a dire · mandaglielo)	the clitic stands for the a-phrase · the two are printed in different clauses on these verbs · gli for le, and gli for plural loro, are the colloquial extensions, not the norm the grammar article prints · loro is not a clitic	first object of [+ two objects] (her) · English does not replace that object with a clitic cluster · not a place name
Theme	complement of the root	direct object (un mazzo di fiori, il pacco, una lettera, lo/la of the thing)	structural direct object · a line can lack a · a preceding third-person direct-object clitic controls the participle (l’ho mandato, and l’ho mandata when the clitic is la)	object of send (a letter, a reply, the package)
Person sent · no personal a	complement of the root · the person who goes · not the Recipient	bare direct object (i bambini, il marito, un messo, lo in l’ho mandato and lo mandarono)	Spanish personal a is unprinted · a before this person is the Recipient, not the direct object · the clitic is lo or la, not gli or le	object of send when the one who goes is the object (sent relief workers to the region)
Place Goal · a / in / da · clitic ci	PP inside the verb’s domain · revisable · not a fourth argument	a Roma · a Mosca · a casa · in Africa · in Inghilterra · dal dottore · the place clitic is ci (ci vado is the andare model) · before lo that ci is ce	the place is not gli · Treccani calls ci in the sense a lui, a lei, a loro dialectal · ci is also the first-person plural dative, and Garzanti glosses that one ci (= a noi) · a city doubled by gli is unprinted	to or into (to my office, to the region) · send Paris a letter is unprinted
a + infinitive	the person who goes is the direct object · the infinitive is inside the verb’s domain · revisable · not a fourth argument	lo mandarono a combattere · m. il marito a fare la spesa · mandare qcn. a fare la spesa · mandare una persona a cercare aiuto	the person is bare, and the clitic is lo or la · a introduces the infinitive · the person can be left unexpressed: manda a chiamare il medico, ho mandato a vedere · this is not the Spanish order, which leaves out a and uses le	send somebody to do something · French prints a bare infinitive · Spanish prints a on this sense and not on the order
mandare a dire	inside the verb’s domain · send word · the addressee is the dative · revisable · not a fourth argument	m. a dire · non glielo mandai a dire · gli hanno mandato a dire di non farsi più vedere · m. a dire che…	Treccani glosses it far sapere per mezzo di interposta persona · De Mauro files it as a polirematica · the messenger can be unexpressed, as in French envoyer chercher · glielo is the addressee plus the message	not a Cambridge send line opened here · send word
mandare via	the person is the direct object · via is inside the verb’s domain · revisable · not the Recipient and not a place PP	m. via · l’hanno mandato via · mandare via uno scocciatore · m. via di casa il figlio	Treccani glosses m. via as licenziare · De Mauro sense 1 is far allontanare · the clitic is the direct object · via is not gli and not a/in/da	send away · German wegschicken is the particle sibling, on the German page

Marking map. One letter can belong to several heads. Read the lemma, then the marker.

a of the Recipient, and gli / le. Treccani fills le manderò un mazzo di fiori and mi hanno mandato un volume in omaggio, and fills the full phrase without the clitic in mandò in dono alla sposa un vassoio d’argento. Garzanti glosses the clitic in parentheses: le (= a lei) ho mandato dei fiori, and ci (= a noi) ha mandato i saluti. That ci is the first-person plural dative. It is not the place clitic. De Mauro prints le ha mandato dei fiori and gli hanno mandato a dire. Sabatini-Coletti prints agli amici with no clitic. The articles do not print the clitic and the full a-phrase in one of these clauses. The Enciclopedia dell’Italiano files a clitic beside a full phrase as a dislocation ripresa, on another verb: gliel’ho dato il messaggio, a tuo cugino. It sets that apart from raddoppiamento clitico, a me mi piace. Neither line is mandare. Spanish se lo envió a sus amigas is the doubling this split does not print.
glielo and gliela. Treccani’s grammar says the combined forms glielo, gliela, glieli, gliele stand for masculine gli and for feminine le. The dative gender is not in the cluster. The Enciclopedia says the indirect-object clitic precedes the direct-object clitic, and the example is this verb: mandaglielo, against mandalogli. The star is the entry’s. Treccani’s mandare article prints the cluster in non glielo mandai a dire. Gli o le? says gli for a woman, in place of le, is common in speech and in informal writing and is not yet the norm. The combined form does not make that choice. Plural loro is not a clitic: the Enciclopedia prints l’ho detto loro, and says gli for that plural is the less careful cloth. loro is unprinted on these send examples.
a, in, and da are the place, and ci is its clitic. Sabatini-Coletti’s a Roma is the city, beside agli amici as the other example. Treccani prints a Mosca, all’Aquila, and in Africa, in esilio. Garzanti prints in Inghilterra and dal dottore. De Mauro prints a Londra and a casa, and in discoteca. Those are the prepositions of going: a with a city, in with a country or a region, da with a person as a place. Treccani’s ci is the locative with a verb of motion: ci vado spesso. The same article says ci in the sense a lui, a lei, a loro is dialectal, and the examples are ci dissi, ci diedi. Before lo, ci is ce. The article prints mandatecelo in that paragraph. It does not say whether that ce is the place or a noi. A place reading of ci on mandare is the ci vado model. A constructed line below marks it. in Francia and da un medico are that in and that da, with a country name and with the user’s doctor. They are constructed on in Inghilterra and on dal dottore.
No personal a. The person who is sent is the direct object with no preposition: è l’ora di m. i bambini a letto, lo mandarono a combattere, l’ho mandato dal dottore, s. un messo. Spanish enviar a Juan a Madrid puts a on that person and a on the city. Italian a before a person, on these verbs, is the Recipient. The two a phrases of the Spanish line are not an Italian frame.
gli picks the Recipient. A place is not gli. The dative examples are people: le, gli, mi, alla sposa, agli amici. No article opened here prints gli for a city. Treccani’s dialectal ci is the clitic that speakers put on a person, and the article rejects it as a lui. The opposite error, gli for a place, is unprinted. The constructed line below marks it. A recipient clitic can stand with a place PP. Treccani prints ti prego d’inviarmi la posta al nuovo indirizzo: mi is the Recipient, al nuovo indirizzo is the place. That is the German dative-beside-a-place, in the clitic cloth. It is not gli resumed as the city.
a + infinitive, mandare a dire, and mandare via. The infinitive of sending someone to do something takes a, and the person is the direct object: Sabatini-Coletti m. il marito a fare la spesa, Treccani lo mandarono a combattere in prima linea, De Mauro mandare qcn. a fare la spesa, Garzanti mandare una persona a cercare aiuto. The person can drop out: Treccani manda a chiamare il medico, Sabatini-Coletti ho mandato a vedere se arriva gente. mandare a dire is send word. Treccani glosses far sapere per mezzo di interposta persona and prints non glielo mandai a dire. De Mauro prints gli hanno mandato a dire di non farsi più vedere. mandare via is send away. Treccani prints l’hanno mandato via dopo il mese di prova. The direct object is the person. via is not a Recipient. Spanish Le mandaron estudiar, the order with no a, is unprinted on these Italian verbs. Treccani sense 1 of mandare, Ordinare, comandare, is marked ant., and the living bureaucratic line is mandando a chiunque spetti. That is not the send frame.

EN ⇄ IT valency strip

Each row lines up one English slot with an Italian slot. The alignment type says what happens to the slot: = (same object status), or shift (a bare English object ↔ Italian a or gli/le, or to ↔ a / in / da). Printed dictionary lines come first. Every other sentence is constructed, modelled on a printed line. They show the working alignment, not frequency, and not a bilingual corpus. Spanish enviar, French envoyer, and German schicken are the live siblings, not extra columns.

English–Italian valency alignment for send, one row per argument
Slot	EN form	IT form	Align	EN example	IT example
Sender	SUBJ of send	subject	=	She sends me a letter every month English Wiktionary · send	le manderò Treccani · the subject is the Sender
Recipient · person	first object of [+ two objects]	gli/le or a+NP · printed apart	shift · no doubling in the printed send clause · the English gloss is a bare object	I'll send her a letter/email/parcel/postcard next week Cambridge · [+ two objects]	le manderò un mazzo di fiori Treccani · agli amici Sabatini-Coletti · Spanish le is doubled in the printed line · French lui is not
Theme	object of send	direct object	=	Send a letter to my office Cambridge American	un mazzo di fiori Treccani · il pacco Sabatini-Coletti · una lettera a un amico Treccani · sinonimi di spedire
Dative before the Theme clitic	the first object stays her	glielo / gliela	shift · gli and le are not the form in this cluster	send her it constructed · not a dictionary line · modelled on send her a letter	non glielo mandai a dire Treccani · mandaglielo Enciclopedia · the rejected order is mandalogli
Place Goal	to / into + place	a · in · da · clitic ci	shift · the printed verb lines use the preposition · ci is the locative article, modelled on andare	sent relief workers to the region Cambridge American	a Roma Sabatini-Coletti · in Africa Treccani · dal dottore Garzanti · ci vado Treccani · ci · the verb is andare
Person sent	object of send + to + place	bare direct object · clitic lo/la · place a/in/da	shift · no personal a · Spanish prints one	sent relief workers to the region Cambridge American	l’ho mandato dal dottore Garzanti · lo mandarono a combattere Treccani
Send someone to do	send + person + to-infinitive	direct object + a + infinitive	shift · Italian prints a · French prints none · Spanish a is this sense, not the order	send somebody to do the shopping constructed · not a dictionary line	m. il marito a fare la spesa Sabatini-Coletti · mandare qcn. a fare la spesa De Mauro
Send word	not the Cambridge line	mandare a dire · dative addressee · messenger unexpressed	a locution on the same verb	send word constructed · not the Cambridge line opened here	gli hanno mandato a dire di non farsi più vedere De Mauro
Send away	send away	direct object + via	shift · via is not the Recipient	send him away constructed · not a dictionary line	l’hanno mandato via Treccani
Place as the dative	send Paris a letter	gli of a place	unprinted on both sides	* send Paris a letter constructed · not a dictionary line	* gli = Roma constructed · gli is the Recipient · the place clitic is ci

The strip below is a set of small multiples. Each card holds one frame, with English on top and Italian under it. The subject chip is the Sender.

EN · IT · le

le + direct object

I'll send her a letter/email/parcel/postcard next week

le manderò un mazzo di fiori

EN · Cambridge · [+ two objects] · IT · Treccani · dative clitic · direct Theme · no full a-phrase

RolesHide roles RecipientTheme

Recipient her · le Theme a letter · un mazzo di fiori

Move le is the Recipient · English spells a bare object · Spanish spells le and doubles it

EN · IT · no doubling

a + NP · clitic apart

I'll send her a letter

mandò in dono alla sposa un vassoio d’argento

IT · Treccani · full a-phrase · no clitic in the clause · Spanish prints both

RolesHide roles RecipientTheme

Recipient her · alla sposa Theme a letter · un vassoio

Move Italian prints the phrase without the clitic · French à and lui are printed apart too

EN · IT · place

a / in / da · ci

Send a letter to my office

l’ho mandato dal dottore

IT · Garzanti · da + place · the person is l’ · EN to + place

RolesHide roles ThemeGoal

Theme him · l’ Goal the doctor’s · dal dottore

Move a place is a PP · the clitic of that place is ci, as in ci vado

EN · IT · no personal a

bare person · a Roma

—

Pat ha mandato Gianni a Roma.

constructed · bare direct object modelled on lo mandarono · place a modelled on a Roma

RolesHide roles ThemeGoal

Theme Gianni Goal a Roma

Move one a, on the city · Spanish puts a on Juan as well

EN · IT · gli ≠ place

place is ci

* send Paris a letter

* Pat gli ha mandato il pacco.

constructed · gli resumed as Rome · the printed place clitic is ci

RolesHide roles GoalTheme

Goal Paris · gli = Roma Theme a letter · il pacco

Move gli is the Recipient · French keeps a place on y

EN · IT · infinitive · word · away

a + infinitive · a dire · via

—

a fare la spesa. Gli hanno mandato a dire. L’hanno mandato via.

IT · Sabatini-Coletti · De Mauro · Treccani · the person of via is the direct object

RolesHide roles ThemeRecipient

Sent a fare la spesa · via Word gli · a dire

Move the infinitive takes a · French prints none · Spanish le + bare infinitive is the order, unprinted here

Examples

Argument difference. English send her a letter and send Mary the package put the person in a bare object and the Theme in the other object. English send a letter to my office and send a reply to them put the third slot in to. Italian mandare puts the Theme in the direct object and the person in a or in gli or le, and the verb articles print those in different clauses. Before lo or la the dative is glie-. A place is a, in, or da, and the place clitic is ci, not gli. The person who is sent has no personal a. Spanish enviar doubles the Recipient and uses personal a, and before lo the dative is se. French envoyer puts the person in à or in lui, a place in y, and prints no à on the infinitive. German schicken puts the person in a bare dative. The dative clitic is inside the verb’s domain on the working drawing. The PP is the Goal, also inside that domain. The drawing does not decide that a dislocation ripresa is a second Recipient.

Senses kept off this frame. Treccani’s mandare of emitting a sound or a smell, of swallowing (mandar giù), of the bureaucratic order, and the locutions mandare a monte, in onda, al diavolo are not a letter. spedire of a lawsuit, of a papal brief, and of clearing a ship, and spedire all’altro mondo, stay off the parcel. inviare sense 1 is marked ant. The three verbs, on the send sense, stay on this page.

Dictionary frames and lines · quoted as printed

è l’ora di m. i bambini a letto · lo mandarono a combattere in prima linea · fu mandato in esilio · missionario mandato in Africa · fu mandato ambasciatore a Mosca · manda a chiamare il medico · m. a dire · non glielo mandai a dire · l’hanno mandato via · mandò in dono alla sposa un vassoio d’argento · le manderò un mazzo di fiori · mi hanno mandato un volume in omaggio Treccani · mandare · senses 2 and 3 · sense 1 Ordinare, comandare is ant.

m. il fattorino in biblioteca, il bambino a letto · m. il marito a fare la spesa · ho mandato a vedere se arriva gente · m. via di casa il figlio · m. il pacco agli amici, a Roma · m. a dire che… · è stato mandato come ambasciatore in India Sabatini-Coletti · mandare · the frame label is [sogg-v-arg-prep.arg]

mandare qcn. a fare la spesa · lo mandarono come ambasciatore a Londra · le ha mandato dei fiori · manda i soldi a casa · gli hanno mandato a dire di non farsi più vedere · mandare via uno scocciatore Il Nuovo De Mauro · mandare · FO · mandare a dire and mandare via are polirematiche

mandare una persona a cercare aiuto · l’ho mandato dal dottore · lo mandarono come ambasciatore in Inghilterra · le (= a lei) ho mandato dei fiori · ci (= a noi) ha mandato i saluti · aus. avere Garzanti · mandare · the parentheses on a lei and a noi are the entry’s gloss of the clitic

i. un pacco postale, un’e-mail · ti prego d’inviarmi la posta al nuovo indirizzo · io invìo Treccani · inviare sense 2 · Mandare, spedire · mi is the Recipient · al nuovo indirizzo is the place

inviare a qualcuno un pacco, una lettera · inviare un messaggero · aus. avere · io invìo Garzanti · inviare · [+ a]

i. una lettera all’amico Sabatini-Coletti · inviare · Spedire, mandare · no register label

inviare un telegramma, un pacco · inviare un ambasciatore, un messaggero Il Nuovo De Mauro · inviare · FO · the label formale is unprinted

s. una lettera per espresso · s. un pacco per corriere · s. un messo, un corriere Treccani · spedire · sense 2b is the post or a carrier · sense 2a is the person, sinon. del più com. inviare, mandare · io spedisco

s. una lettera a un amico · s. per via aerea Treccani · sinonimi e contrari · spedire · the second argument is a

spedire un invito, una raccomandata, un pacco · per mezzo della posta Il Nuovo De Mauro · spedire · AU sense 1 · sense 2 is the person on an errand

s. un pacco a un amico via aerea · s. un corriere all’estero Sabatini-Coletti · spedire · sense 1 a mezzo posta o corriere · sense 2 the person

mi (= a me) ha spedito una cartolina · aus. avere · io spedisco Garzanti · spedire sense 1 · [+ a]

glielo, gliela · valgono sia per il maschile (gli), sia per il femminile (le) Treccani · La grammatica italiana · pronomi personali

mandaglielo · mandalogli Enciclopedia dell’Italiano · parole enclitiche · the indirect-object clitic precedes the direct-object clitic · the star is the entry’s

gliel’ho dato il messaggio, a tuo cugino · a me mi piace Enciclopedia dell’Italiano · clitici · the first is a dislocation ripresa · the second is raddoppiamento clitico · the verb is not mandare

ci vado spesso · ci dissi, ci diedi · mandatecelo Treccani · ci · locative with a verb of going · ci for a lui is dialectal · ce before lo

l(a) ha guardata · l(o) ha guardato · li ha guardati · le ha guardate Enciclopedia dell’Italiano · accordo · the participle agrees with a preceding third-person direct-object clitic · the verb is guardare

gli (anziché le) dirò Treccani · La grammatica italiana · Gli o le? · gli for a woman is not the norm

I'll send her a letter/email/parcel/postcard next week. · Could you send a reply to them as quickly as possible? Cambridge Advanced · send · [+ two objects] is the entry’s label

Send a letter to my office. Cambridge American · send

She sends me a letter every month. English Wiktionary · send · the entry labels the verb ditransitive

Strings below are constructed, modelled on the printed lines. They are not spontaneous-speech citations and not dictionary lines. Pat continues the named-participant series on the Spanish send page and on insegnare. A name does not spell function. gli and le spell the dative. il pacco follows Sabatini-Coletti’s il pacco. a Maria follows alla sposa and agli amici. a Roma is the printed city. in Francia follows in Inghilterra and in Africa. da un medico follows dal dottore. Gianni follows the bare person of lo mandarono. la lettera follows una lettera.

✓ Pat gli ha mandato il pacco.

RolesHide roles SenderRecipientTheme

Sender Pat Recipient gli Theme il pacco

constructed · dative gli modelled on De Mauro’s gli hanno mandato a dire · the Theme follows, so the participle does not agree with gli

✓ Pat ha mandato il pacco a Maria.

RolesHide roles SenderRecipientTheme

Sender Pat Recipient a Maria Theme il pacco

constructed · a+NP modelled on alla sposa and on agli amici · no clitic · not the Spanish doubling

✓ La lettera, l’ho mandata. Gliel’ho mandata.

RolesHide roles RecipientTheme

Recipient glie- Theme la · mandata

constructed · l’ho mandato is Garzanti’s masculine line · feminine -a is the agreement the Enciclopedia prints for a preceding la · gliel’ is gliela before ho · the participle agrees with la, not with the dative · Garzanti’s le ho mandato dei fiori leaves mandato, because le is not the direct object

✓ Pat ha mandato il pacco a Roma. Pat ci ha mandato il pacco.

RolesHide roles SenderThemeGoal

Sender Pat Theme il pacco Goal a Roma · ci

constructed · a Roma is Sabatini-Coletti’s city · ci modelled on Treccani’s ci vado · ci here is the place, not Garzanti’s ci (= a noi)

✓ Pat ha mandato il pacco in Francia. Pat ha mandato Gianni da un medico.

RolesHide roles SenderThemeGoal

Sender Pat Theme il pacco · Gianni Goal in Francia · da un medico

constructed · in modelled on in Inghilterra and in Africa · da modelled on dal dottore · Gianni is bare

✓ Pat ha mandato Gianni a comprare il pane.

RolesHide roles SenderThemeGoal

Sender Pat Theme Gianni Infinitive a comprare il pane

constructed · a + infinitive modelled on a fare la spesa and on a combattere · the person is the direct object · French prints no à

* Pat gli ha mandato il pacco. gli = Roma

RolesHide roles GoalTheme

Goal gli = Roma Theme il pacco

constructed · gli resumed as a place · the same string with gli as a person is the dative cloth · a place takes a, in, or da, and the clitic ci

* Pat ha mandato Maria il pacco.

RolesHide roles RecipientTheme

Recipient Maria Theme il pacco

constructed · bare Recipient · the printed person beside this Theme is a or gli/le · English send Mary the package is that bare first object · German jemandem is a bare dative, and an Italian full noun is not

* Pat ha mandato a Gianni a Roma. a Gianni = the person sent

RolesHide roles ThemeGoal

Theme a Gianni Goal a Roma

constructed · personal a on the person who is sent · the printed person is bare, as in lo mandarono · Spanish enviar a Juan a Madrid is that first a · Italian a Gianni is the Recipient

✓ le manderò un mazzo di fiori Treccani · dative le · direct Theme · no full a-phrase
✓ mandò in dono alla sposa un vassoio Treccani · a+NP · no clitic
✓ non glielo mandai a dire Treccani · glielo · send word
✓ l’ho mandato dal dottore Garzanti · person as direct object · da + place · avere · participle mandato
✓ a Roma · in Africa · a casa Sabatini-Coletti · Treccani · De Mauro · place prepositions · not gli
✓ m. il marito a fare la spesa Sabatini-Coletti · a + infinitive · bare person
✓ gli hanno mandato a dire De Mauro · send word · dative gli
✓ l’hanno mandato via Treccani · via · direct object
✓ inviarmi la posta al nuovo indirizzo Treccani · recipient clitic beside a place PP
✓ s. una lettera a un amico Treccani · sinonimi · spedire · post, with a

What the clitics show

The clitic is an operation on the same places. It does not add a participant. A passive of the person who is sent is printed: Sabatini-Coletti è stato mandato come ambasciatore in India. The auxiliary there is essere, and the participle agrees with the subject, the person. A passive of a letter is unprinted. Nothing is constructed for it.

gli, le, and glielo. le manderò un mazzo di fiori and le (= a lei) ho mandato dei fiori put the Recipient in le and leave the Theme as the direct object. The participle stays mandato. le is not a direct object, so it does not control agreement. gli hanno mandato a dire is the same dative, masculine, on the send-word locution. non glielo mandai a dire and mandaglielo put the Recipient and the Theme in one cluster. glie- is gli or le. The gender of the Recipient is not spelled again. Before ho, glielo and gliela both elide to gliel’. The participle is what shows the Theme: gliel’ho mandato for lo, gliel’ho mandata for la. The second is constructed on Garzanti’s l’ho mandato and on the Enciclopedia’s rule for a preceding la.

The participle and avere. Garzanti prints aus. avere for mandare, for inviare, and for spedire. The compound of the masculine clitic is the printed l’ho mandato. The Enciclopedia says the participle is always made to agree, with avere, when the direct object is a third-person clitic: l(a) ha guardata, l(o) ha guardato, li ha guardati, le ha guardate. The Treccani grammar note says the choice is free for mi, ti, ci, and vi, and not for lo, la, li, le. La lettera, l’ho mandata is that la on mandare. It is constructed. l’ho spedita and l’ho inviata are the same rule on the other two participles, spedito and inviato. They are constructed. A following full noun does not force the ending: le ho mandato dei fiori is printed with mandato.

lo is the person who is sent. ci is the place. l’ho mandato dal dottore and lo mandarono a combattere put that person in lo. l’hanno mandato via puts the same person in l’, and via stays. gli and le are the other person, the one who receives a thing or the word. ci vado spesso is the locative on andare. The constructed ci ha mandato is that locative on mandare. Garzanti’s ci (= a noi) is the other ci, the plural Recipient, and the entry’s parentheses say so. Treccani’s dialectal ci dissi is ci pressed into service as gli. The constructed gli = Roma is the opposite pressure, and it is starred.

The stem vowel and -isc-. Treccani and Garzanti print io invìo for inviare, with the stress on the root i. They print io spedisco for spedire. mandare is the unmarked -are pattern: mando, participle mandato. That vowel, and that -isc-, are the conjugation those entries print. They are not a second event.

Derivations · working sketches, revisable

Each sketch is a working drawing, not a locked analysis. The drawing gives the Sender to Voice, the Recipient to low Appl, the PP Goal to a phrase inside the verb’s domain, and the Theme to the root. The Recipient is the added argument, analogous to the a Learner on insegnare and to the a buyer on vendere. Open one sketch at a time. Whether a plus a city is that low Appl or the Goal PP is settled here only by the clitic: gli and le are the Recipient, and a place is ci. Which theta role is the object is the revisable note Causative templates and argument selection. This page does not edit that note.

Voice · the Sender is the external argument

Constructed · the finite verb in C · one external argument

[CP Pat_1
  [C' ha mandato
    [TP t_1
      [VoiceP t_1 Voice                     ← Sender = Spec,Voice
        … mandare … ]
      T ]]]

✓ Pat gli ha mandato il pacco. constructed

The external argument is the Sender. English keeps that one subject on send. A passive of the person is the printed è stato mandato. A passive of the letter, with no overt Sender, is unprinted. Nothing is constructed.

Low Appl · the Recipient · the root takes the Theme

Recipient gli/le or a+NP · printed apart · direct Theme · working, revisable

[VoiceP Pat Voice
  [ApplP_LOW [gli]_DAT Appl                   ← Recipient · dative clitic
    [VP √mand-
       [Theme il pacco ]]]]                   ← Theme · direct object

[VoiceP Pat Voice
  [ApplP_LOW [a Maria] Appl                   ← Recipient · a+NP · no clitic in the clause
    [VP √mand-
       [Theme il pacco ]]]]

[VoiceP Pat Voice
  [ApplP_LOW [glie-]_DAT Appl                 ← glie- = gli or le
    [VP √mand-
       [Theme la ]]]]                         ← gliela · participle mandata

A place PP is not this Appl. It sits in the verb’s domain, with the Theme. a plus a city, in plus a country, and da plus a person as a place, are that PP. ci is the clitic of the PP. gli is not.

[VoiceP Pat Voice
  [VP √mand-
     [Theme il pacco ]
     [PP a [ Roma ]]]]                        ← Goal · PP · clitic ci · not gli

[VoiceP Pat Voice
  [VP √mand-
     [Theme Gianni ]                          ← bare direct object · no personal a
     [PP da [ un medico ]]]]                  ← da · the place

The infinitive of mandare qualcuno a sits in the verb’s domain. Its agent is the direct object. mandare a dire leaves the messenger unexpressed, and the addressee is the dative. via is not a Recipient.

[VoiceP Pat Voice
  [VP √mand-
     [Theme Gianni ]                          ← the person who is sent
     [Inf a comprare ]]]                      ← a + infinitive · not a Recipient

[VoiceP Pat Voice
  [ApplP_LOW [gli]_DAT Appl                   ← the addressee of the word
    [VP √mand-
       [ a dire ]]]]                          ← messenger unexpressed

[VoiceP Pat Voice
  [VP √mand-
     [Theme l’ ]                              ← the person sent away
     [ via ]]]                                ← not gli · not a/in/da

✓ le manderò un mazzo di fiori Treccani · dative Recipient

✓ alla sposa un vassoio Treccani · a+NP · no clitic in the clause

✓ l’ho mandato dal dottore Garzanti · direct-object person · PP Goal

✓ inviarmi la posta al nuovo indirizzo Treccani · recipient clitic beside a place PP

* Pat gli ha mandato il pacco. gli = Roma constructed · a place is not the dative the articles print

English counterpart · double object, and to · Spanish doubling · French lui and y · German bare dative

Working · no English send page is opened · Spanish is enviar · French is envoyer · German is schicken

[VoiceP Pat Voice                              ← Sender
  [ApplP_LOW her Appl                           ← Recipient · bare object
    [VP √SEND
       [Theme a letter ]]]]                    ← I'll send her a letter
                                                · Cambridge [+ two objects]
                                                · Italian gli / le / a
                                                · the two spellings apart
                                                · not a bare noun

[VoiceP Pat Voice
  [VP √SEND
     [Theme a letter ]
     [PP to [ my office ]]]]                   ← Send a letter to my office
                                                · Italian a / in / da
                                                · clitic ci
                                                · a is also the Recipient
                                                · not personal a

Cambridge’s [+ two objects] lines put a person in the first object. The to lines put a person or a place in the PP. A place in the first object is unprinted. Italian le manderò is the Recipient as a clitic. Italian alla sposa is the Recipient as a, without the clitic in that clause. Italian a Roma and dal dottore are the place PP. Spanish se lo envió a sus amigas is the Recipient doubled. French lui in Je lui ai envoyé un télégramme is the Recipient without the full phrase in that sentence, and a French place takes y. German mir in Sie hat mir einen Liebesbrief geschickt is a bare dative, which an Italian full noun does not spell.

Layer-by-layer parallel: English send, Italian mandare, Spanish enviar, French envoyer, and German schicken
Layer	send (EN) · no page	mandare	enviar · live	envoyer · live	schicken · live
Spec,Voice	Sender	Sender	Sender	Sender	Sender
Recipient	bare first object, where the entry prints [+ two objects]	a+NP or gli/le · printed apart · glielo/gliela with the Theme clitic	a+NP and le/les · doubled · se before lo	à+NP or lui/leur · the two are printed apart	bare dative · also an+accusative
Theme	object	direct object · participle agrees with a preceding lo/la	direct object	direct object	accusative
Person sent	object + to + place	bare direct object · clitic lo/la · no personal a	personal a · clitic lo · not le	direct object · no personal à	accusative
Place	to or into · not the first object	a, in, or da · clitic ci · not gli	a · para unfilled on the verb · not le	à, en, or chez · clitic y · not lui	nach, in, zu, or an · a person-dative may stand with ins Haus
Purpose	unasserted on the lines opened here	a + infinitive · mandare a dire leaves the messenger out · mandare via is send away	a + infinitive on mandar · the order has no a in the Spain pair	bare infinitive · envoyer chercher leaves the person out	nach dem Arzt schicken is the fetch, kept off the letter frame · wegschicken is send away

On insegnare the added argument is an a Learner and the direct object is the Content. On vendere the buyer is a or gli. On mandare the a phrase or gli/le is the Recipient and the direct object is the Theme, and a place PP is a further marking. The analogy is the added indirect object. It is not a claim that a Learner, a buyer, and a Recipient are one role.

Notes

Working paper · October 2026 · Italian micro-entry · Beyond Index 2

Sending in Italian is not one marking of the third slot. Sender (Voice, subject), Theme (complement of the root, direct object), and either a Recipient (low Appl, a+NP or dative gli/le, and glielo/gliela with the Theme clitic, working and revisable) or a Goal (a PP inside the verb’s domain: a, in, or da, clitic ci). The clitic and the full Recipient are printed apart. There is no personal a. gli is the Recipient. A place is not gli. mandare someone a plus an infinitive sends that person to do something. mandare a dire sends word. mandare via sends someone away. The auxiliary is avere, and the participle agrees with a preceding direct-object clitic. spedire is the post or a carrier, in the sense the articles set apart. inviare is the synonym they print. English send her a letter is a double object. Spanish doubles le. French lui is not doubled in the printed line, and a place takes y. German schicken is a bare dative. send Paris a letter is unprinted.

IT micro-entry live Beyond Index 2 a Recipient versus Goal ES enviar live FR envoyer live DE schicken live

Sense × language: send · Italian (mandare, inviare and spedire where they match). The transfer sense is the page. mandare a dire and mandare via stay on the page because that is where the infinitive and via sit. The emission senses and the old command sense stay off the frame. No English send hub. Geometry neighbors: teach · insegnare, for the a added argument, sell · vendere, for gli, send · enviar, for the doubling and for personal a, send · envoyer, for lui and y, and send · schicken, for the bare dative. Index 2 Italian Transfer cites scambiare, dare — not these verbs.

Places
EN ⇄ IT strip
Examples
Clitics
Derivations
Hierarchy
Geometry
Open items
Corpus and sources

Working paper. Italian micro-entry, fourth language of send. Dictionary frames were read on Treccani (mandare, inviare, spedire, the sinonimi of spedire, and ci), on Sabatini-Coletti as the Corriere serves it, on Il Nuovo De Mauro as Internazionale serves it, and on Garzanti linguistica as numerosamente.it serves it, with the Treccani grammar articles for gli/le, glielo, the participle, and the dislocation ripresa, and with Cambridge and English Wiktionary for the English double object and for to.

Constructed examples. Dictionary lines are marked as printed. Every other full clause is marked constructed. a Maria, in Francia, da un medico, Gianni, ci of a place, l’ho mandata, and gliel’ho mandata are constructed on printed frames. The place resumed by gli, the bare Recipient, and personal a on the person who is sent, are starred because the filled marking is the other one.

Arity. Index 2 does not list these lemmas. Surface count can name a sender, a person, a thing, and a place. The lexicon does not list four co-arguments of one flat V. Voice adds the Sender. Low Appl adds the Recipient. A PP Goal is inside the verb’s domain. The root takes the Theme. The infinitive and via are inside that domain. The root vowel of invìo, and the -isc- of spedisco, are not a further sister.

What this page does not do. It does not open a separate page for inviare or for spedire. It does not open an English page of send. The old command sense stops at the citation that marks it ant. The emission senses stop at the citation.

Hierarchy

Not a flat grid of three sisters, and not one case frame copied from the English gloss. Voice adds the Sender. Low Appl adds the Recipient. A PP adds the Goal, inside the verb’s domain. The root takes the Theme. The drawing is working and revisable.

What Italian changes, against English send her a letter and send Mary the package, is that the person is a or gli/le, not a bare object, and that the clitic and the a-phrase are printed in different clauses. What Italian changes, against English send a letter to a place, is that the place is a, in, or da, and that the place clitic is ci. The clitic separates them. gli and le are the Recipient. lo and la are the person who is sent, with no personal a. A place takes ci, and not gli. What Italian changes, against Spanish enviar, is the missing doubling, the missing personal a, glielo rather than se lo, and ci for the place. What Italian changes, against French envoyer, is a on the infinitive, and glie- where French keeps lui. What Italian changes, against German schicken, is that a full noun has no bare dative. The auxiliary is avere. The participle agrees with a preceding direct-object clitic, and not with gli or le.

Geometry · send beside the live Italian a, the live Spanish doubling, the live French clitic, and the live German dative

English send. Person as the first object of [+ two objects], or in to. Place in to or into. send Mary the package is that double object. send Paris a letter is unprinted. No English page is opened.
mandare. Direct-object Theme. Recipient a+NP or gli/le, printed apart. glielo/gliela when the Theme is a clitic. Place a, in, or da. The place clitic is ci. No personal a. a + infinitive sends someone to do something. mandare a dire sends word. mandare via sends someone away. Auxiliary avere. Participle mandato, agreeing with a preceding direct-object clitic. Conjugation of the siblings: invìo, spedisco, as morphology.
inviare. Printed as Mandare, spedire. Same three places: inviare a qualcuno un pacco, inviarmi la posta al nuovo indirizzo. A label formale is unprinted. Not a separate page. De Mauro marks it FO, the same band as mandare.
spedire. Sense set apart: correspondence or goods by post or by a carrier, a un amico, per corriere. The person-on-an-errand sense is also printed, as a synonym of the more common inviare and mandare. Not a separate page. De Mauro marks the shipping sense AU.
enviar. Direct-object Theme. Recipient a+NP doubled by le. se before lo. Place a or para. Personal a takes lo. The order on mandar is a different frame. That doubling, that personal a, and that order are the Spanish divergences.
envoyer. Direct-object Theme. Recipient à or lui, printed apart. Place à, en, or chez. A place takes y. The infinitive has no à. The elliptical fetch is envoyer chercher.
schicken. Accusative Theme. Bare dative Recipient, or an+accusative. Place nach, in, zu. A person-dative with a place is printed. Italian prints the clitic with a place on inviare, and does not print a full a-phrase of a person beside a place in one clause.
insegnare. a Learner, dative clitic, direct-object Content. The indirect object is the added argument this page compares. The Learner is not a Recipient of a package.
vendere. a or gli for the buyer. The two spellings of one indirect object are the parallel. A place Goal of the mandare kind is not that buyer.

Open items

Whether low Appl is the right head for a and for gli/le. The drawing puts a Recipient inside the verb’s domain, on the analogy of the a Learner of insegnare. The dictionaries print the phrases and the clitic. They do not print that head. The ranking stays open.
Whether a plus a person is the same head as a plus a city. The preposition can be the same. gli versus ci, and in and da for the places that are not cities, are the split the drawing uses. The articles do not rank the a phrases beyond the examples they print.
A neutral doubling of a full Recipient. Unprinted on these verbs. The encyclopedia’s co-occurrence is a dislocation ripresa, on dare, or the raddoppiamento a me mi piace. Nothing is constructed as a second Italian analysis of the Spanish clause.
ci of a place on mandare. Unprinted on the verb. Treccani prints ci vado and mandatecelo. The constructed ci ha mandato is the working limit. mandatecelo is not assigned to the place rather than to a noi.
gli for a woman, and gli for loro, on these verbs. The grammar article prints the norm as le and as loro. The colloquial gli is unprinted on the send examples. Not constructed.
A full a-phrase of a person beside a place. Unprinted in one clause. The recipient clitic beside a place is printed: inviarmi la posta al nuovo indirizzo. Sabatini-Coletti’s agli amici, a Roma are two examples. Nothing further is constructed.
A passive of a letter. Unprinted. The passive of the person is è stato mandato. Nothing is constructed for the letter.
A label formale on inviare. Unprinted on Treccani, on De Mauro (FO, with mandare), on Garzanti, and on Sabatini-Coletti. The articles print inviare as the synonym. The shipping sense of spedire is the split they do print.
An order on mandare of the Spanish Le mandaron estudiar kind. Unprinted. Sense 1 is ant. Not constructed.

Corpus filenames and sources

Dictionary frames: Treccani mandare, inviare, spedire, the sinonimi of spedire, and ci; Sabatini-Coletti as Corriere serves mandare, inviare, and spedire; Il Nuovo De Mauro as Internazionale serves the same three; Garzanti linguistica as numerosamente.it serves the same three. Grammar: Treccani, La grammatica italiana, on personal pronouns and on gli or le; the Enciclopedia dell’Italiano on clitici, on enclitics, and on agreement of the participle; the Treccani grammar note on the participle with avere. English lines: Cambridge Advanced and Cambridge American send; English Wiktionary send. Lo Zingarelli and Barron’s 501 Italian Verbs are named below. No filled clause on this page is taken from them. Constructed clauses put a printed marking on a named sender. a Maria, in Francia, da un medico, Gianni, place ci, and l’ho mandata are the working limits of the printed frames. Index 2 does not list these lemmas. Italian Transfer in Index 2 is scambiare, dare. Spanish send is enviar. French send is envoyer. German send is schicken.

Treccani · mandare treccani.it/vocabolario/mandare · person as direct object · a + infinitive · m. a dire · glielo · l’hanno mandato via · le manderò · alla sposa · in Africa · a Mosca
Treccani · inviare treccani.it/vocabolario/inviare · sense 2 Mandare, spedire · inviarmi la posta al nuovo indirizzo · io invìo · no formale label
Treccani · spedire treccani.it/vocabolario/spedire · sense 2b post or carrier · sense 2a person, synonym of the more common pair · io spedisco
Treccani · sinonimi · spedire treccani.it/vocabolario/spedire (Sinonimi e Contrari) · s. una lettera a un amico
Treccani · ci treccani.it/vocabolario/ci · ci vado spesso · ci for a lui is dialectal · mandatecelo
Sabatini-Coletti · mandare dizionari.corriere.it · mandare · [sogg-v-arg-prep.arg] · a fare la spesa · il pacco agli amici, a Roma · è stato mandato
Sabatini-Coletti · inviare dizionari.corriere.it · inviare · una lettera all’amico · invìo
Sabatini-Coletti · spedire dizionari.corriere.it · spedire · sense 1 a mezzo posta o corriere · un pacco a un amico
Il Nuovo De Mauro · mandare dizionario.internazionale.it/parola/mandare · FO · le ha mandato dei fiori · gli hanno mandato a dire · mandare via · a casa
Il Nuovo De Mauro · inviare dizionario.internazionale.it/parola/inviare · FO · un telegramma, un pacco · un ambasciatore
Il Nuovo De Mauro · spedire dizionario.internazionale.it/parola/spedire · AU · per mezzo della posta
Garzanti linguistica · mandare, inviare, spedire numerosamente.it · Garzanti as served · aus. avere · l’ho mandato dal dottore · le (= a lei) ho mandato dei fiori · [+ a] · io invìo · io spedisco
Treccani · pronomi personali treccani.it · La grammatica italiana · pronomi personali · glielo/gliela for gli and for le
Treccani · Gli o le? treccani.it · Gli o le? · gli for a woman is not the norm
Enciclopedia dell’Italiano · clitici treccani.it · clitici · ci is locative and first-person plural · dislocation gliel’ho dato il messaggio, a tuo cugino · a me mi piace
Enciclopedia dell’Italiano · parole enclitiche treccani.it · parole enclitiche · mandaglielo · not mandalogli
Enciclopedia dell’Italiano · accordo treccani.it · accordo · participle with a preceding lo/la/li/le
Treccani · participle with avere treccani.it · grammatica 230 · agreement is not free for lo/la/li/le
Cambridge · send dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/send · I'll send her a letter · send a reply to them · Send a letter to my office
English Wiktionary · send en.wiktionary.org/wiki/send · She sends me a letter every month · ditransitive
Lo Zingarelli zanichelli.it · named · no filled clause on this page is taken from it
501 Italian Verbs Barron’s · Colaneri, Luciani, Danesi · the chart book · no filled clause on this page is taken from it · avere and the participle are the Garzanti lines
Spanish sibling send · enviar · le doubled · se before lo · personal a
French sibling send · envoyer · à or lui · printed apart · place y · bare infinitive
German sibling send · schicken · bare dative · an+accusative · dative beside ins Haus

Records the direct-object Theme of mandare, the Recipient as a+NP or as gli/le, and glielo/gliela when the Theme is a clitic. Records that those two spellings are printed apart, unlike Spanish doubling. Records the place as a, in, or da, and ci as the place clitic, not gli. Records that there is no personal a. Records a + infinitive, mandare a dire, and mandare via. Records avere and the participle with a preceding direct-object clitic. Records spedire as the post or the carrier, in the sense the articles set apart, and inviare as the synonym they print. Does not open an English page.