Italian Phrase
Le sue azioni ci hanno deluso.
Meaning
The sentence means “His/Her actions have disappointed us.” It conveys a collective feeling of disappointment about someone’s behavior or decisions.
When to use
Use this phrase when you want to express that a group (you, your team, your family, etc.) feels let down by another person’s actions. It works in both formal and informal contexts, though it is slightly stronger than a milder “ci ha deluso”.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Lesueazionicihannodeluso
Le (definite article)
Feminine plural definite article used before a plural noun.
sue (possessive adjective)
Feminine plural form of 'suo', agreeing with the noun 'azioni'.
ci (object pronoun)
First‑person plural direct object pronoun meaning 'us', placed before the auxiliary.
hanno (auxiliary avere)
Third‑person plural present of 'avere', used to form the passato prossimo.
deluso (past participle)
Past participle of 'deludere'. With 'avere' it does not agree with the subject; it only agrees with a preceding direct object pronoun, which in this case ('ci') does not trigger agreement.
🗨In Conversation
Le sue azioni ci hanno deluso.
His actions have disappointed us.
Capisco, cercherò di parlare con lui per capire cosa è successo.
I understand, I’ll try to talk to him to find out what happened.
✕Common Mistakes
Le sue azioni ci hanno delusi.
With ‘avere’ the past participle does not agree with the subject; it only agrees with a preceding direct object pronoun, which ‘ci’ does not trigger.
Le sue azioni ci ha deluso.
The auxiliary must agree with the plural subject ‘azioni’, so it should be ‘hanno’, not ‘ha’.
Sue azioni ci hanno deluso.
The article ‘le’ is correct; a common error is to drop it and say ‘sue azioni’, which sounds incomplete.
↔Alternatives
Le sue azioni ci hanno deluso molto.
His/Her actions have disappointed us a lot.
Siamo rimasti delusi dalle sue azioni.
We were disappointed by his/her actions.
Ci ha deluso con le sue azioni.
He/She let us down with his/her actions.
Cultural Tip
In Italian, directly stating disappointment can sound blunt, especially in formal settings. If you need a softer tone, you can say “Siamo rimasti un po' delusi” or add a mitigating phrase like “purtroppo”. Also note that the verb ‘deludere’ can be followed by ‘da’ (e.g., “deluso da…”) when the cause is expressed as a noun rather than a pronoun.