🔍 In short. Italian has a tiny tool that does heavy work in conversation: the pattern e + a name, pronoun or object passes the question on. E tu? means “what about you?”, E Mario? means “what about Mario?”, E i bambini? means “what about the kids?”. The whole thing is two or three words, and it keeps a conversation moving without repeating the verb. Italian also bounces follow-ups with E allora? (“so what?”), E poi? (“what then?”) and Come mai? (“how come?”). This A2 guide covers when to use each, which tone fits, and how to read the tone, with a dialogue at a café in Trento and a quiz at the end.
Master the Italian e tu pattern and a whole layer of friendly conversation opens up. By the end you will bounce a question back, ask about a third person, and signal “go on” without ever fumbling for words.
Cosa impareremo oggi
👆🏻 Jump to section
- The shape of the Italian e tu pattern
- Bouncing a question back: e tu, e Lei, e voi
- Asking about a third person: e Mario, e i bambini
- Pointing at things: e quello, e questa
- E allora, e quindi, e poi: keep the talk moving
- Come mai: the soft “how come”
- Tone, intonation and small traps
- Cheat sheet: short follow-ups
- Dialog: catching up in Trento
- Frequently asked questions
- Related guides
The shape of the Italian e tu pattern
Sit at any café in Trento on a Saturday morning and listen for ten minutes. Between coffee orders you will hear E tu?, E Mario?, E i bambini?, E allora? dropped into conversations like punctuation. The Italian e tu pattern is one of the cheapest, friendliest tools in the language: a single e plus a person or thing, and the previous question lands on a new target.
The structure is brutally simple. You pick up the e (“and”), add the name, pronoun or object you want to redirect the question to, raise your voice at the end, and stop. No verb, no repeat of the question. The listener fills in everything else from context.
- «Come stai?» «Bene, grazie. E tu?»
“How are you?” “Fine, thanks. What about you?” - Io prendo un caffè. E Mario?
I’ll have a coffee. What about Mario? - Questo vino mi piace molto. E quello?
I really like this wine. What about that one? - Noi andiamo in val di Non domenica. E i bambini?
We’re going to val di Non on Sunday. What about the kids? - Io ho già letto questo libro. E tu, l’hai finito?
I’ve already read this book. And you, have you finished it?
Notice the rising tone at the end of each one. Without the question mark on your voice, E tu would sound like the start of a longer sentence. The little e at the front is what makes the Italian e tu pattern feel like a natural continuation rather than a new topic dropped from nowhere. Italians use this pattern from kindergarten on; it is the conversational equivalent of passing a ball.
🎯 Mini-task #1. Bounce each statement back with the Italian e tu pattern.
- Io abito a Trento. ___ ?
- Noi prendiamo il treno delle nove. ___ Valentina?
- Mi piace molto questo formaggio. ___ quello sulla destra?
- I miei genitori arrivano domani. ___ i tuoi?
- Stefano va in palestra il martedì. ___ tu?
👉 Show answers
1. E tu? · 2. E Valentina? · 3. E quello sulla destra? · 4. E i tuoi? · 5. E tu? (the explicit “tu” makes the bounce-back unmistakable.)
Bouncing a question back: e tu, e Lei, e voi
The most common version of the Italian e tu pattern is the polite bounce-back. Someone asks you something, you answer briefly, then you return the same question with two syllables. The pronoun changes with the address form used by the other person: e tu? with a friend, e Lei? with a stranger or a professional contact, e voi? when you are addressing more than one person.
- «Ciao Valentina, come stai?» «Bene grazie, e tu?»
“Hi Valentina, how are you?” “Fine thanks, what about you?” - «Buongiorno dottore, come sta?» «Bene grazie, e Lei?»
“Good morning doctor, how are you?” “Fine thanks, and you?” - «Ragazzi, avete già mangiato?» «No, e voi?»
“Guys, have you eaten already?” “No, what about you?” - «Cosa prendi da bere?» «Un’acqua frizzante. E tu?»
“What are you having to drink?” “Sparkling water. What about you?”
The rule is simple: mirror the address form the other person used. If they said tu, bounce with e tu?; if they said Lei, bounce with e Lei?. Mixing them sounds odd, and switching from Lei to tu without an invitation can feel rude. In a formal email or business call, E Lei come sta? is the safe expansion when a flat e Lei? feels too short.
You can also add a small word for extra friendliness or insistence. E tu, invece? (“and you, instead?”) is very common when you want to highlight a difference: I do X, what about you, do you do the opposite? E tu, allora? (“and you, then?”) works after a pause, when you have been talking about yourself for a while and want to pass the floor. Both are friendly, neither is rude.
Asking about a third person: e Mario, e i bambini
The Italian e tu pattern is not only for the person in front of you. You can swap tu for any name or noun and ask about a third person, a pet, a group, an absent friend. The structure stays the same: e plus the name, rising tone, full stop.
- Io vado a Cagliari a luglio. E Mario, ha già deciso?
I’m going to Cagliari in July. What about Mario, has he decided yet? - Caterina lavora ancora in redazione. E i bambini, sono già a scuola?
Caterina still works at the editorial office. What about the kids, are they already in school? - Stefano è tornato venerdì. E tua sorella?
Stefano came back on Friday. What about your sister? - Il cane sta meglio. E il gatto?
The dog is better. What about the cat? - I miei nonni vivono a Lucca. E i tuoi?
My grandparents live in Lucca. What about yours?
The article matters. With family members in the plural you keep the article: e i bambini?, e i tuoi?, e i ragazzi?. With a singular family member and a possessive you usually drop the article: e tua sorella?, e mio fratello?. With a bare name no article: e Mario?, e Valentina?. These are the standard Italian rules for definite articles, applied here in a setting where they are easy to spot.
When you want to ask something more specific, you can extend the bounce with a verb: e Mario, viene anche lui? (“and Mario, is he coming too?”), e i bambini, dormono ancora? (“and the kids, are they still asleep?”). The opening e Mario still does the work of redirecting the topic; the rest just narrows the question. Beginners often skip the opening e and start straight with the verb (Mario viene anche lui?); the sentence is grammatical, but the friendly bounce-back tone is gone.
🎯 Mini-task #2. Pick the right opening for each bounce.
- Io ho già finito i compiti. ___ Valentina? (Mario / E / Anche)
- I miei genitori abitano a Modena. ___ tuoi? (I / E i / E)
- Stefano lavora di sabato. ___ sorella? (E / E tua / Tua)
- Mi piace il vino bianco. ___ rosso? (Il / E il / E)
- «Sto bene, grazie. ___ ?» (E tu / E te / Tu)
👉 Show answers
1. E Valentina · 2. E i tuoi (plural family + possessive keeps article) · 3. E tua sorella (singular family + possessive drops article) · 4. E il rosso (article stays with a general noun) · 5. E tu (the subject pronoun for “you” informal)
Pointing at things: e quello, e questa
The Italian e tu pattern works just as well for objects in a shop, dishes on a menu, items in a flat. Swap the name for a demonstrative (questo, quello, questa, quella) or for the plain noun with an article, and the bounce-back stays exactly the same.
- Mi piace molto questa borsa. E quella?
I really like this bag. What about that one? - Prendo il piatto del giorno. E tu, cosa prendi?
I’ll have the special of the day. What about you, what are you having? - Questo vino è ottimo. E il rosso, l’hai assaggiato?
This wine is excellent. What about the red, have you tasted it? - L’appartamento al primo piano è bello. E quello al terzo?
The flat on the first floor is nice. What about the one on the third? - Le scarpe nere stanno bene. E le marroni?
The black shoes look good. What about the brown ones?
This is where the Italian e tu pattern earns its keep at the market, in a shop, or sitting in front of a menu. You can compare two items, ask the assistant for an opinion on a second option, or simply keep the conversation moving without rebuilding the whole sentence. The vagueness is the point: e quello? works for a wine, a jacket, an apartment, a restaurant on the other side of the square. Context fills the rest.
E allora, e quindi, e poi: keep the talk moving
Close cousins to the Italian e tu pattern are E allora?, E quindi? and E poi?. They do not redirect the question to a new person; they push the conversation one step further. Each one carries a slightly different signal, and reading the difference is what separates a confident A2 speaker from a hesitant one.
- E allora? means “So?” or “What now?”. Asks for the next move or the upshot.
- E quindi? means “And so?” or “What’s the point?”. Asks for the consequence or the conclusion.
- E poi? means “And then?”. Asks for the next event in a story.
- E così? means “And so?”. Softer cousin of E quindi?, often used in storytelling.
- «Il treno è in ritardo di un’ora.» «E allora? Abbiamo tutta la mattina.»
“The train is an hour late.” “So what? We have all morning.” - «Ho già parlato con il direttore.» «E quindi? Ti dà l’aumento?»
“I’ve already spoken to the director.” “And so? Is he giving you the raise?” - «Sono entrata nel ristorante e c’era Valentina con un’amica.» «E poi?»
“I went into the restaurant and Valentina was there with a friend.” “And then?” - «Abbiamo perso l’ultimo autobus.» «E allora? Prendiamo un taxi.»
“We missed the last bus.” “So? Let’s take a taxi.”
Tone changes everything here. A flat, curious E allora? is friendly: “well, what shall we do?”. A sharp, falling E allora? can sound dismissive: “so what?”, “I don’t care”. Italians read the tone instantly; learners need a few months of listening to catch it. When in doubt, go for the curious version and add a small smile: nobody will mistake it for rudeness.
E poi? is the most innocent of the three. It is the question children ask their grandparents during a bedtime story: e poi? e poi cosa è successo? (“and then? and then what happened?”). You can use it any time you want the speaker to continue, and you will never sound impatient. E quindi? sits between the two: it asks for the conclusion, the logical next step, the punchline. Used too often it can sound impatient, but once or twice in a conversation it works perfectly.
Come mai: the soft “how come”
Last in the toolkit is come mai?, the soft cousin of perché?. Where perché? sounds direct and sometimes a little pointed, come mai? sounds curious, friendly, almost surprised. It is the Italian way of saying “how come?” or “how is it that?”.
- Come mai sei già qui? Non ti aspettavo prima delle dieci.
How come you’re already here? I wasn’t expecting you before ten. - Come mai non hai chiamato? Ero in ansia.
How come you didn’t call? I was worried. - Come mai studi italiano? Hai famiglia in Italia?
How come you’re studying Italian? Do you have family in Italy? - Come mai Mario non è venuto al matrimonio di sua cugina?
How come Mario didn’t come to his cousin’s wedding?
Two practical rules. First, come mai? only appears in questions, never in answers. You can ask come mai sei qui?, but you cannot answer perché come mai…; the reply uses perché. Second, it always carries a hint of mild surprise. If you are asking a neutral reason question (why is the bank closed today?), plain perché? is the safer bet. If you are asking with a smile, eyebrows up, expecting an interesting story, come mai? is the right tool.
A short bare Come mai? on its own is also possible as a reaction. Someone says Valentina non viene domenica, you reply Come mai?, and they explain. It is the conversational sibling of the Italian e tu pattern: two words, rising tone, hand the floor back.
Tone, intonation and small traps
Everything in this guide depends on two things: a rising tone at the end, and the word e at the front. Drop either one and the meaning shifts. Tu? on its own (without e, with a sharp rising tone) sounds suspicious: “you?”, as in “really, you?”. E tu with a falling tone sounds like the start of a longer sentence: “and you (will do something later)”. The combination of e plus rising tone is what makes the Italian e tu pattern read as a friendly bounce-back.
A small spelling reminder. The conjunction e (“and”) has no accent. The verb è (“is”, third person of essere) has a grave accent. In writing, E tu? with no accent means “And you?”, while È tu? with the accent would mean “Is you?” and is not Italian at all. The accent is the difference between a friendly bounce-back and a non-sentence.
Two more traps. First, e te? instead of e tu? is heard in the spoken language across central and southern Italy. It sounds informal and regional; in writing and in standard speech the form is e tu?, with the subject pronoun. Second, in a formal email, a stand-alone E Lei? at the end of a paragraph can feel too short; expand it to E Lei come sta? or E Lei cosa ne pensa? (“and you, what do you think of it?”). The Italian e tu pattern shines in speech, not in formal writing.
🎯 Mini-task #3. Choose the best short follow-up.
- Stefano racconta una storia lunga e si ferma. Tu vuoi sentire la fine. ___ ? (E tu / E poi / Come mai)
- Un’amica ti dice che ha cambiato lavoro. Tu sei curiosa di sapere il motivo. ___ ? (E quindi / Come mai / E voi)
- Il tuo collega dice che sa già tutto. Tu vuoi sapere la conclusione. ___ ? (E poi / E quindi / E Lei)
- Al ristorante hai scelto. Vuoi sapere cosa prende il tuo amico. ___ ? (E tu / E allora / E poi)
- Una signora anziana ti chiede come stai e tu vuoi rispondere rimandando la domanda. ___ ? (E tu / E Lei / E voi)
👉 Show answers
1. E poi? (asks for the next event) · 2. Come mai? (curious “how come”) · 3. E quindi? (asks for the conclusion) · 4. E tu? (bounce-back to a friend) · 5. E Lei? (formal address mirrors the signora’s tone)
Cheat sheet: short follow-ups
One table, the whole Italian e tu pattern family in a glance. Keep it open while you practise.
| Form | Meaning | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| E tu? | What about you? (informal) | Bouncing a question to a friend |
| E Lei? | What about you? (formal) | Bouncing a question to a stranger or professional |
| E voi? | What about you all? | Bouncing to a group |
| E Mario? / E Valentina? | What about Mario? / Valentina? | Asking about an absent person |
| E i bambini? / E i tuoi? | What about the kids? / your folks? | Asking about a family group |
| E quello? / E quella? | What about that one? (m./f.) | Comparing objects, dishes, options |
| E allora? | So? What now? | Asking for the next step |
| E quindi? | And so? What’s the point? | Asking for the conclusion |
| E poi? | And then? | Asking for the next event in a story |
| Come mai? | How come? | Asking the reason with mild surprise |
Dialog: catching up in Trento
Valentina has just come back from a month visiting her cousins in Cagliari. Stefano has changed jobs at a small publishing house in Trento. They meet for coffee in piazza Duomo on a Saturday morning. Count the Italian e tu pattern appearances.
👩🏻🦳 Valentina: Stefano, ciao! Sono appena tornata da Cagliari. Come stai?
Stefano, hi! I’ve just got back from Cagliari. How are you?
👨🏼🦰 Stefano: Bene, grazie. E tu? Hai una bella faccia abbronzata.
Fine, thanks. What about you? You’ve got a nice tan.
👩🏻🦳 Valentina: Sì, ho passato tre settimane al mare. E i tuoi cugini di Bari? Sono venuti a trovarti?
Yes, I spent three weeks at the seaside. What about your cousins from Bari? Did they come to visit you?
👨🏼🦰 Stefano: Solo Caterina, per due giorni. Mio zio non è potuto venire. Senti, io prendo un tè e una fetta di crostata. E tu, cosa prendi?
Only Caterina, for two days. My uncle couldn’t come. Listen, I’ll have a tea and a slice of jam tart. What about you, what are you having?
👩🏻🦳 Valentina: Per me un caffè macchiato. E poi vorrei anche un’acqua frizzante. Ho saputo che hai cambiato lavoro, come mai?
An espresso with a drop of milk. And then I’d like a sparkling water. I heard you changed jobs, how come?
👨🏼🦰 Stefano: Volevo una redazione più piccola, con persone vere. Adesso lavoro per una casa editrice qui in città.
I wanted a smaller editorial office, with real people. Now I work for a publishing house here in town.
👩🏻🦳 Valentina: E quindi? Sei contento?
And so? Are you happy?
👨🏼🦰 Stefano: Molto. Lavoro meno ore e il direttore mi ascolta. E tu, sei già tornata in ufficio?
Very. I work fewer hours and the director listens to me. What about you, are you back at the office already?
👩🏻🦳 Valentina: Da lunedì. Domenica andiamo in val di Non con i miei. E i bambini di tua sorella, vengono anche loro?
From Monday. On Sunday we’re going to val di Non with my folks. What about your sister’s kids, are they coming too?
👨🏼🦰 Stefano: Forse. Mia sorella deve ancora decidere. E allora, ci sentiamo venerdì per organizzare?
Maybe. My sister still has to decide. So, shall we talk on Friday to organise?
👩🏻🦳 Valentina: Perfetto. Mando un messaggio anche a tua sorella. E poi vediamo.
Perfect. I’ll send your sister a message too. And then we’ll see.
Count the short follow-ups in the dialogue: e tu three times, e i tuoi cugini, e poi twice, come mai, e quindi, e i bambini di tua sorella, e allora. A normal seven-minute café conversation, and the Italian e tu pattern carries half of it.
🎯 Mini-challenge. Replay a recent conversation you had in English. Rewrite four exchanges in Italian, using at least one Italian e tu pattern bounce-back, one e Mario / e i bambini-style third-person ask, one e allora / e quindi / e poi nudge, and one come mai?. Read the whole thing aloud once, paying attention to the rising tone.
Test your understanding
Take the quiz below to test what you’ve learned about the Italian e tu pattern, the short follow-ups, and the soft come mai.
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Frequently asked questions
Six questions come up every time A2 learners meet the Italian e tu pattern. The answers below draw on everyday spoken usage and on the Treccani Vocabolario entry for «e».
Is e tu rude or too direct in Italian?
Not at all. E tu? is one of the friendliest short answers in Italian. After someone asks you a question and you give a brief reply, e tu? bounces the same question straight back. It is the default in casual conversation, between friends, family, classmates, colleagues of the same level. The only way it becomes rude is if you mix it with a formal address form: say e tu? to a stranger or a senior professional and you signal more familiarity than they offered. With strangers, use e Lei? instead.
Should I say e tu or e Lei?
Mirror the address form the other person used. If they said tu, reply with e tu?; if they said Lei, reply with e Lei?. Mixing them sounds odd. In formal email or a business call, expand the short e Lei? to E Lei come sta? or E Lei cosa ne pensa?, because a two-word bounce-back can feel abrupt in writing. With a group, use e voi?
Are e allora and e quindi rude in Italian?
They depend on tone. A flat, curious E allora? is friendly: well, what shall we do?. A sharp, falling E allora? can sound dismissive: so what?, I don’t care. E quindi? sits between the two: it asks for the conclusion or the punchline, and used too often it can sound impatient. E poi? is the safest: it just asks for the next event in a story, and never sounds rude. When in doubt, use E poi? and add a smile.
What’s the difference between come mai and perche?
Both ask for a reason, but come mai is softer and more curious, almost surprised. Perche is the neutral, direct why. Use come mai when you want to invite an interesting answer: come mai studi italiano?, come mai sei gia qui?. Use perche when you want a straight reason: perche e chiusa la banca?. Two practical limits: come mai only appears in questions, never in answers, and it always carries a hint of surprise.
Can I drop the e and just say tu or Mario?
You can, but the friendly bounce-back tone is gone. A bare Tu? sounds suspicious (really, you?); a bare Mario? sounds like you are calling Mario, not asking about him. The opening e plus a rising tone is what makes the Italian e tu pattern read as a continuation of the previous conversation rather than a brand new question. Keep the e.
Does e tu work in formal writing?
In informal messages and emails between friends, yes. In a formal email or a business letter, a stand-alone E Lei? at the end of a paragraph can feel too short. Expand it to E Lei come sta?, E Lei cosa ne pensa?, or E voi come state procedendo?. The short Italian e tu pattern shines in speech and casual writing; formal writing wants the full question rebuilt.
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Related guides
Three guides that pair with the Italian e tu pattern, plus an institutional reference on the conjunction e.
- Italian Quaggiù, Lassù, Laggiù: short distance words that work just like e quello, e quella.
- Italian Stesso vs Uguale: another A2 pair where Italian splits what English merges.
- Italian Stare Per + Infinitive: another short conversation tool at A2.
- Treccani Vocabolario: «e»: institutional entry on the conjunction e.
