presentarvi

Presentarvi is the Italian infinitive form of the verb phrase presentare with the clitic pronoun vi, meaning to present you (plural) to someone else. It is used when the action of presenting is directed toward a group of people, and the pronoun vi marks the direct or indirect object “you” in the second person plural.

Usage and examples

The construction appears in sentences where the speaker introduces other people to a third party. In the sentence Devo presentarvi al direttore, the pronoun vi attaches to the infinitive presentare and the meaning is “I must introduce you to the director.” The pronoun typically follows the infinitive in Italian, especially when combined with another verb (for example, modal verbs or forms like voglio/posso/devo). In compound tenses, the pronoun remains attached to the infinitive form, as in Vi ho presentato al direttore, meaning “I introduced you to the director,” with the participle agreeing with the preceding object pronoun if required by tense rules.

Related forms

Presentare is the base verb meaning “to present” or “to introduce.” Presentarsi is a reflexive form meaning “to introduce oneself.” Other pronominal combinations with vi can occur in different tenses and with other verbs, such as possiamo presentarvi or volete presentarvi.

Notes

Presentarvi is a standard Italian construction used in formal and informal speech to specify the audience of the introduction. Its use is common in professional, academic, and social contexts whenever a speaker needs to bring a group of people to the attention of another person.